What did Octavian do with the bodies of Antony and Cleopatra? After the notorious Battle of Actium in 31 BC, Octavian( also known as Augustus) surfaced victorious over the concerted forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. Following their defeat, Antony and Cleopatra fled to Alexandria, where they ultimately committed self-murder.
When Octavian’s forces captured Alexandria and discovered the bodies of Antony and Cleopatra, they were brought to Octavian. The fate of Antony’s body was fairly straightforward Octavian allowed Antony to be buried in Egypt, following his request to be laid to rest coming to Cleopatra.
Cleopatra’s fate was a bit different. Octavian intended to use her prisoner and posterior public display in Rome as a means to solidify his power and farther denigrate Antony and Cleopatra. still, Cleopatra had taken her own life using a toxic snake, the asp, rather than face prisoner and implicit demotion in Rome.
The exact details of what Octavian did with Cleopatra’s body vary in literal accounts, but it’s believed that he allowed her to be buried with Antony in a kindly staid manner. The position of their grave, still, remains unknown to this day, as it was likely designedly kept secret to help any form of veneration or passage to their burial point.
