Ancient Orient, Greek History, Roman History Vol.11: The Imperial Period

In a chequered history, from the 5th century BC onwards the small central Italian town of Rome had become the Roman Empire. When its legions had subjugated the peoples of the Mediterranean, they were led against each other by their commanders. The bloody civil wars ended in 31 BC with the naval battle of Actium, in which Marc Antony and Cleopatra were defeated by Caesar's adopted son Octavian and his loyal paladin Agrippa. The winner takes it all: Rome's traditional republican decision-making and ruling structures had outlived - the time of the emperors had dawned.