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incredible willpower, political genius, and a ruthless ability to take advantage
of his opponent’s mistakes. In 37 bc, Antony postponed plans for his
Parthian campaign to help Octavian with rebellions in Italy and renewed
their alliance at the Treaty of Tarentum. Later that year, Antony returned
to the East to secure his own power base and make final preparations for
the invasion of Parthia the following spring. He sent Octavia, pregnant
and with a baby daughter, back to Rome.
Antony went to Antioch in Syria, since he needed resources for the
Parthian campaign, and summoned Cleopatra to meet him. There they
resumed their sexual relationship along with their political alliance. In a
public ceremony cementing their union, Cleopatra was granted extensive
and rich territories in Syria, Cyprus, and Cilicia in return for her financial
support. Although Octavian claimed Antony was seduced by the insatiable
queen into handing over vast tracts of the empire, Antony’s actions were
consistent with his overall strategy of governing the eastern provinces
through alliances with friendly client-kings, such as King Herod of Judaea
(Hughes-Hallett, 24–5). In exchange for regaining control over much of
what Ptolemaic Egypt had ruled at its height, Cleopatra outfitted Antony’s
legions and built him a fleet to protect his interests in the Mediterranean.
In the spring of 36 bc, Antony set out with his army for Parthia, against
Cleopatra’s advice. The expedition was a disaster, due in part to the lastminute
loss of support from King Artavasdes of Armenia. Antony lost
twenty thousand men. Early in 35 bc, Cleopatra, who had just borne
Antony another son, arrived with more money and provisions for the
troops. When Antony heard the loyal Octavia was also on her way with
reinforcements, he sent her a message ordering her to send soldiers and
supplies, but she should return to Rome. Antony thereby signaled his
intention to abandon his alliance with Octavian, and challenge him for
primacy in the Roman world, with the help of his mistress-ally, the Queen
of Egypt.
After the disgraceful dismissal of his sister, which he perhaps anticipated,
Octavian had the personal justification to strike directly at Antony
and Cleopatra. For the next five years, Octavian waged a vicious propaganda
war to convince the Senate and the Roman people that Antony and
Cleopatra intended to subjugate Rome to an Eastern Empire, ruled jointly
from their imperial capital at Alexandria (Hughes-Hallett, 26–8). Although
Antony’s immense popularity made it difficult to cast him as an enemy of
Rome, it was much easier to portray Cleopatra as a power-hungry foreign
queen manipulating the doting Antony through sexual seduction and bribery.
That spring, Antony and Cleopatra returned to Egypt to raise money
CLEOPATRA (1963) 133