Through their exaggerated portrayals of Augustus as the (almost divine) defender of Rome, both

the literary and historical sources produced after the battle of Actium represent the lasting
success of his propaganda campaign against Marc Antony.
Uses of Prop
- Evocation of Caesars memory, stressing relationship to Caesar
- Relationship with Apollo
- attributes victory at Actium to direct intervention from Apollo (Zanker 50)
- strengthens connections with west
- Apollo also stood for purification and for punishment of any form of excess. As
such he could well represent Italys position during the civil war with Antony,
with the motto Italy versus the Orient with its luxuries, against Egypt with its
animal headed gods and its decadence. (Zanker 52-53)
- DIO As for Antony, although he kept himself informed of all these
operations, as no doubt he did in the case of what was going on in Italy
also (for he was ignorant of none of them whatsoever), yet he failed in
both instances to take defensive measures in time; instead, he was so
under the sway of his passion and of his drunkenness that he gave not a
thought either to his allies or to his enemies. 2 It is indeed true that he had
earnestly devoted himself to his duties so long as he had been in a
subordinate station and had been aiming at the highest prizes, but now that
he had got into power, he no longer paid strict attention to any of these
things, but joined Cleopatra and the Egyptians in general in their life of
luxurious ease until he was entirely demoralized. 3 (DIO 48.271-3)
Octavian was said to have displayed a soldierly and Roman demeanor, while Antony
behaved rather like an Oriental or Egyptian (DIO 48.301) (Zanker 52)
- When they had reached this agreement in their camps at Brundisium, they entertained
each other at banquets, Caesar in military and Roman fashion and Antony in Asiatic and
Egyptian style.
DIO As for Antony, although he kept himself informed of all these operations, as no doubt he
did in the case of what was going on in Italy also (for he was ignorant of none of them
whatsoever), yet he failed in both instances to take defensive measures in time; instead,
he was so under the sway of his passion and of his drunkenness that he gave not a thought
either to his allies or to his enemies. 2 It is indeed true that he had earnestly devoted
himself to his duties so long as he had been in a subordinate station and had been aiming
at the highest prizes, but now that he had got into power, he no longer paid strict attention
to any of these things, but joined Cleopatra and the Egyptians in general in their life of
luxurious ease until he was entirely demoralized. 3 (DIO 48.271-3)
His ceaseless assault on the shamefully orientalised Anthony conversely made sure that
Octavian was entwined with the idea of Rome and the righteous west. By doing so, Octavian
managed to cast his political rival into a light that portrayed a foreign enemy rather than a fellow
Roman. In this way the literal war that was fought became more against devious easterners than
a Roman civil war. This characterisation was Octavians master stroke as it allowed him to
garner far more support in Rome and the western provinces than Anthony could hope for.

Octavians efforts in the aftermath of the battle show in great detail the way in which his version
of events would promote himself and glaze over the more suspicious elements of the war.
The Augustan version of events up to and including the battle of Actium leave absolutely no
room for any doubt that this was a just war fought to suppress an aggressive and suspiciously pro
-foreign enemy. Despite the fact that both sides of the conflict took the offensive and marched on
Greece Octavian found it easy to characterise himself as defending Roman lands from the
easterners marching west.
By analysing the literature of the aftermath of Actium we can get a good picture of the ideals that
Octavian tried to characterise during his propaganda struggle with Anthony. The all pervading
theme we are left with is that Octavian was the defender of the Rome and the western way of life
whereas Anthony was the despicable aggressor with no sense of Roman pride. Octavian also
made sure that the relatively tame war that broke out was remembered as a heroic and epic
struggle with himself as the saviour.
Virgil is describing this as a Roman victory, and within the context of the literature as a whole, is
very much placing the emphasis on Roman supremacy, thus when it comes to describing
Anthony's fleet, Anthony is interestingly mentioned only once. The emphasis is on the oriental
fleet. Anthony's image during this late stage of the conflict between the two politicians is one
where he is no longer Roman; having been orientalised by the east, with fanciful pretensions of
kingship. It almost seems that Anthony's tale in Augustan propaganda is one of embarrassment,
one where he had fell into decadence. The enemy was not yet another Roman politician vying for
power, but another of Rome's great threats from the East. An oriental who was trying to destroy
the Roman way of life.
Octavian thusly, is legitimised not only by the Senate and People, but crucially by the gods who
aid Octavian throughout the battle, and thus legitimised as the true leader of Rome, the one who
would lead them to greatness and victory, as did his "ancestor" Aeneas, thus telling the reader
that Augustus is destined to be the one to lead Rome, and as such, should be revered for this role.