Shadowicon - Battle Of Actium

[The Battle of Actium was the final engagement in the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on September 2, 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea, near the Roman colony of Actium in Greece. Octavian's fleet was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, while Antony's fleet was supported by the ships of his lover, Cleopatra VII, queen of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Octavian's victory enabled him to consolidate his power over Rome and its domains. As a result he adopted the title of Princeps ("first citizen") and he was given the title of Augustus by the Senate. As Augustus he would retain the trappings of a restored Republican leader, however, historians generally view this consolidation of power and the adoption of these honorifics, as the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.

The two fleets met outside the Gulf of Actium, on the morning of September 2, 31 BC, when Mark Antony led 230 warships through the straits toward the open sea. Octavian's fleet was waiting beyond the straits, led by the experienced admiral Agrippa, commanding from the left wing of the fleet, Lucius Arruntius commanding the centre and Marcus Lurius commanding from the right[3]. Octavian's armies observed the battle from shore to the north of the straits, and were under the command of Titus Statilius Taurus.

Mark Antony and Gellius Publicola commanded the right wing of the Antonian fleet, while Marcus Octavius and Marcus Insteius commanded the centre, with Cleopatra's squadron positioned behind them. Gaius Sosius launched the initial attack of the battle from the left wing of the fleet, while Antony's chief lieutenant Publius Canidius Crassus was in command of the triumvir's land forces.

The majority of Mark Antony's warships were quinqueremes, huge galleys with massive rams, that could weigh up to three hundred tons. The bows of the galleys were armored with bronze plates and square-cut timbers, making a successful ramming attack with similar equipment difficult. Unfortunately for Antony, many of his ships were undermanned; a severe malaria outbreak had taken place when they were waiting for Octavian's fleet to arrive and he had burned the ships he could no longer man, while clustering the remainder tightly together. With many oarsmen dead, the powerful, head-on ramming tactic for which the quinqueremes had been designed was rendered impossible. The morale of his troops had also suffered after supply lines had been cut.

Octavian's fleet was largely made up of smaller, fully-manned Liburnian vessels, armed with better-trained, fresher crews. His ships were lighter and could out-maneuver the quinqueremes, where one objective was to ram the enemy ship and at the same time kill the above deck crew with a shower of arrows and catapult-launched stones, which were large enough to decapitate a man. Prior to the battle, one of Mark Antony's generals, known as Quintus Dellius, had defected to Octavian, bringing with him Mark Antony's battle plans. Antony had hoped to use his biggest ships to drive back Agrippa's wing on the north end of his line, but Octavian's entire fleet, aware of this strategy, stayed out of range. Shortly after mid-day, Antony was forced to extend his line from the protection of the shore, and finally engage the enemy.

Seeing that the battle was going against Antony, Cleopatra's fleet retreated to open sea without engaging. Mark Antony relocated to a smaller vessel with his flag and managed to escape, taking a few ships with him as an escort to help break through Octavian's lines. Those that remained left behind, however, were all captured or sunk by Octavian's forces.

Another theory suggests that Antony knew he was surrounded and had nowhere to run. Antony gathered his ships around him in a quasi-horseshoe formation, staying close to the shore for safety. If Octavian's ships tried to approach Antony's, the sea would push them into the shore. Antony may have known that he would not be able to defeat Octavian's forces, so he and Cleopatra stayed in the rear of the formation. Eventually, Antony sent the ships on the northern part of the formation to attack. He had them move out to the north, spreading out Octavian's ships which up until now were tightly arranged. He sent Gaius Sosius down to the south to spread the remaining ships out to the south. This left a hole in the middle of Octavian's formation. Antony seized the opportunity and with Cleopatra on her ship and him on a different ship, sped through the gap and escaped, abandoning his entire force.]

[Pt. 1: Set Sail to Destiny]

[Instrumental]

[Pt. 2: On the Eve of Battle]

Before the dawn,
Far across the sea,
The story of Actium begins.

I await my redemption,
Extend me your helping hand.
Bring me salvation,
Escort me to the shores of ancient (lands).

Calling...
I'm calling you,
Try, to ease my pain!

Erase the sins I've made,
Oh gods give me mercy.
Help me find my peace,
A chance to set those spirits (free).

Wake me up from this horrible dream!

A journey of my life, a moment lost in time.
My final act, betrayal, what have I done?!
Escort the souls up to the heaven's gate,
Drain my blood and let me die in shame.
A journey of my life, a moment lost in time.
My final act, betrayal, what have I done?!
I stand before you, but cannot explain,
It is my weakness that conducts my fears.

A journey of my life, a moment lost in time.
My final act, betrayal, what have I done?!
Escort the souls up to the heaven's gate,
Drain my blood and let me die in shame.
Die in shame…
Die in shame.

[Pt. 3: To Arms]

[Instrumental]

[Pt. 4: The Final Engagement]

A new dawn comes, I am reborn.
A crest of life, a new beginning.
I'll close my eyes,
And dream away
I fear the dark at night

Take me there, where I belong
Open my eyes and make me strong.

I will not stop, until the day
That I'll be taken from this life.
It is the end,
They've died in vain
How can I accept this pain?

Take me there, where I belong
Open my eyes and make me strong
My final wish, before I die
Is to see that they have reached the sky.

I hear the thunder
In the sky
Let the world just pass me by

[CHORUS]

[Pt. 5: Fallen]

[Instrumental]