#Roman Triumvir Mark Antony

[suetravelblog]

Roman Theater, Souks, Eid al-Fitr Amman Jordan

[theantonian]

Hellenistic period sardonyx cameo portrait of Mark Antony as Alexander the Great. H. 3.7cm. W. 3.5cm.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Monnaies, médaille et antiques, Paris.

Photograph: Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

[historical-kitten]

Ancient Roman Politicians on a Modern Date

Gaius Julius Caesar: He invites you to a dinner party at his house and is a fairly witty and engaging host, but all of his stories seem to be about himself. However, friends assure you he's "every woman's man and every man's woman," so stick around for the nightcap he offers you if that makes you curious.

Marcus Licinius Crassus: For a man who is absolutely the wealthiest you've ever met, it seems a little convenient that he 'forgot his wallet' on your date to that expensive gastropub, so you couldn't go halfsies and had to pay for both your meals. The gold flake dessert shines bright, but you sort of wish he'd choke on it.

Gnaeus Pompeius Maximus: It's kind of weird how he takes you around to show you his art collection since it mainly consists of statues of himself, but hey, at least he's interested in art? He also tells a lot of stories about himself. However, he has a reputation for being a devoted husband and he's in between spouses, so if you're ready for that, give him a chance.

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus aka Augustus: He literally wrote out a plan for your entire date, how it would go, and what he would say to the most commonly asked smalltalk questions. Do not deviate from his script. He takes you somewhere like a museum or a fancy restaurant where they barely feed you, but although he is polished, his romantic delivery seems a little flat until you run into his best friend Agrippa... They are just besties, right?

Marcus Antonius aka Mark Antony: Ok, there are a couple ways this could go. He is either an absolutely fantastic date who takes you to see a hilarious play and finishes off with a fun night on the town, or he takes you to a bar in a seedy part of town where you dance and drink and party all night. Either way he gives you nice gifts and is charming and funny. On a later date he may take you on the most expensive, romantic, fancy date ever. Most likely a good time date, just don't expect things to get serious unless you're the Queen of Egypt.

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus: He never showed up for your date. Completely ghosted you. You track down his coworkers Mark Antony and Octavian and they say they have no idea where he is either. Weird.

Marcus Agrippa: He takes you on a tour of the city, pointing out all the architecture and finishes this off with dinner. He seems nice, intelligent, and is very attentive to your needs. So why isn't he off the market yet? His attachment to his slightly creepy best friend and roommate Octavian, maybe? They were roommates.

Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius: A much better date than his father, he takes you to his private boat and gives you a seaside tour. He valiantly fights off pirates during your date, but did you catch one of them winking at him? Regardless, it's an unforgettable adventure.

Who would you rather date? And again, I'm sorry, Lepidus.

As always, thanks to @just-late-roman-republic-things for inspiring these posts.

[transbutchblues]

there’s this girl in my year who talks about mark antony about 5 times a day at least (usually more) and it’s growing on me fr… recently i can’t stop thinking about the end of the republic… i had 5 hours a week of classes on it this semester but her obsession with mark antony and the second triumvirate isn’t helping

gods i love (= hate) the romans they were amazing (= terrible people) and the rumors on everyone are wonderful

[sharkspez]

cTumblr Biography: Julius Caesar 🕊️

As the Triumvirate fell apart 🍃, Caesar found his life ⚠️ under threat. But would he submit to his enemies or take drastic action to 🛡️ protect himself?

[annabelle--cane]

as a reminder, a bunch of the tmagp leads have been in other rq productions already, so if you like what you're hearing and want more of them, voices you have already heard include:

shahan hamza (sam): plays sivapathasundaram in trice forgotten, a plucky young cartographer on the run from the british after escaping execution for a crime he didn't commit. anxious and insecure with a tendency to run his mouth at all times, siva either instantly charms or makes enemies of everyone he meets.

sarah lambie (lena): plays octavia in cry havoc, sister to the triumvir gaius octavius. a bit of a champagne socialist who expresses her frustration at the roman political sphere through writing plays, octavia is trying to reconcile her position of vulnerability as a woman with her position of privilege as a noble, mayhaps finding love with an actress in her company along the way 👀

ryan hopevere-anderson (colin): plays sextus pompey in cry havoc, notorious pirate with a notoriously good ass. he's dangerous, he's sexy, he gives good relationship advice, he's here to kidnap the triumvirate's nearest and dearest for a hefty ransom.

kazeem tosin amore (teddy): plays mark antony in cry havoc, triumvir of rome who "doesn't do numbers" because "there's millions of them." he loves rome and he loves his wife, but he trained for the battlefield, not admin, and would rather do almost anything than have a conversation about negotiating supplies of grain. he's brash and impulsive, but a hard backbone runs through him, and there are certain moral lines he cannot ever bring himself to cross, even when he wants to.

[stcantarella]

breaking news: mark antony, the triumvir from the roman republic, is a nasty little thottie. and he just died from making it clap on instagram.

[lionofchaeronea]

Denarius of the famous Roman general and statesman Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius), born 14 January 83 BCE. This coin was minted in the late summer or autumn of 38 BCE, possibly to advertise the renewal of the triumvirate between Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus in that year. At the time of its issue, Antony was preparing, with Cleopatra's help, for a campaign against the Parthian Empire (which would, in the event, end in disaster, severely weakening his position and setting the stage for his final showdown with Octavian). The obverse of the coin bears the bust of Antony, who is identified as AUGUR (an important Roman priesthood, responsible for taking the auspices by observing the flight of birds) and TRESVIR R(EI) P(UBLICAE) C(ONSTITUENDAE) (the official title of the members of the triumvirate). The reverse, in a testimony to Antony's past glories and future ambitions, labels him IMPER(ATOR) TER(TIUS) ("thrice acclaimed victor") and bears a trophy (tropaeum), an empty suit of armor erected to mark the point at which the enemy army began to flee.

Photo credit: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com

[blueiscoool]

A ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT HEAD OF MARK ANTONY CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

Marcus Antonius (14 January 83 BC – 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autocratic Roman Empire.

Antony was a relative and supporter of Julius Caesar, and he served as one of his generals during the conquest of Gaul and the Caesar's civil war. Antony was appointed administrator of Italy while Caesar eliminated political opponents in Greece, North Africa, and Spain. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Antony joined forces with Lepidus, another of Caesar's generals, and Octavian, Caesar's great-nephew and adopted son, forming a three-man dictatorship known to historians as the Second Triumvirate. The Triumvirs defeated Caesar's killers, the Liberatores, at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, and divided the government of the Republic between themselves. Antony was assigned Rome's eastern provinces, including the client kingdom of Egypt, then ruled by Cleopatra VII Philopator, and was given the command in Rome's war against Parthia.

Relations among the triumvirs were strained as the various members sought greater political power. Civil war between Antony and Octavian was averted in 40 BC, when Antony married Octavian's sister, Octavia. Despite this marriage, Antony carried on a love affair with Cleopatra, who bore him three children, further straining Antony's relations with Octavian. Lepidus was expelled from the association in 36 BC, and in 33 BC, disagreements between Antony and Octavian caused a split between the remaining Triumvirs. Their ongoing hostility erupted into civil war in 31 BC when Octavian induced the republic to declare war on Cleopatra and proclaim Antony a traitor. Later that year, Antony was defeated by Octavian's forces at the Battle of Actium. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt where, having again been defeated at the Battle of Alexandria, they committed suicide.

With Antony dead, Octavian became the undisputed master of the Roman world. In 27 BC, Octavian was granted the title of Augustus, marking the final stage in the transformation of the Roman Republic into an empire, with himself as the first Roman emperor.

[mitsuristoleme]

The Odds Is Gone

Written for @kentopedia ‘s collab event- Love Through The Ages

I present to you my take on the tragic love story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII! Except picture Sanemi as Antony and Reader as Cleopatra!

cw: 2.4k words, historical au, fem!Cleopatra!Reader, Mark Antony!Sanemi, angst, smut, praise kink if you squint, they banter just a little bit, mention of Sanemi cheating on his wife, suicide, this one is beta read yall!!!, 18+ minors dni (i swear if i see a minor/ ageless blog interact i will block you)

a/n: The amount of rewriting and research i put into this fic is so fucking unreal i kid you not. I switched between 4 POVs and so MANY plot points to cover or leave out, it made me lose my mind. Also I feel like I need to mention that I hit 2k words right when Sanemi says “I love you” for the first time. So. Do with that what you will. Also this is my first time writing smut, and also angst, please go easy on me.

A hugeeeeee thank you to @forest-hashira for helping me out. Without them, this fic would probably not be what it is. Go show them some love (threat)

This fic switches between the narrative and a bunch of flashback scenes. The flashback scenes are all in italics and I've put in dividers between each one, just so there's no confusion in what's going on.

Caesar intended to keep you as a trophy.

You let out a prideful scoff, sandals clacking loudly as you strode towards the medical wing of your palace. 

Did the man truly think he could bring you, Cleopatra VII of Egypt, as a fucking war trophy, to show off to all of Rome? 

You paused in front of the ornate door, your heart urging you forward, yet your feet frozen in place. 

The door swung open, interrupting your silent debate with your own body. As if the Gods themselves would not force a decision this cruel on you. 

The chief doctor’s eyes widened slightly as she took in your presence. She recovered her composure quick enough, bowing low in respect. 

“My Lady,” she greeted, “I was just about to send a message to you. I suppose the Gods would rather I tell you in person.”

“Kocho,” you dipped your head in acknowledgement.

“Lord Shinazugawa’s body has been embalmed and it is ready for whenever you decide to hold the ritual for his entombment.”

You nodded.

You suspected she would have to do this exact charade with someone else if you carried through with what you were planning. 

“You’re dismissed for the day, Kocho.”

“But My Lady-“ 

Your gaze softened as you met your friend’s worried eyes. 

She seemed to hesitate as she asked, “Are you alright, My Lady?”

“I am, Shinobu,” you nodded reassuringly, “Truly. Thank you for everything. I will come find you later. I would like to see him. In solitude, please.” 

She bowed and left, but not before throwing a worried glance over her shoulder. 

You waited until she had vanished down the corridor to throw open the gold embossed doors to the medical wing. 

As you shut the doors behind you, your gaze landed on him. Sanemi Shinazugawa. Roman Consul. Triumvir of the Second Triumvirate. Mighty warrior. Your lover. Your ‘Nemi.

As you stepped closer, the wound on his chest, where he had stabbed himself with his sword, was glaringly obvious on his alabaster skin. 

You had seen him with scars, memorised every inch of the ones on his chest, his face and his arms. You never thought there would be one that would lead to him, lying lifeless in front of you. 

He did not seem dead. Only as though he was sleeping, as he did every night beside you. He seemed as though any moment, he would wake from his seemingly peaceful slumber and land his adoring lilac gaze on you, his lips curving into that beautiful smile.

Oh, what wouldn’t you sacrifice to have his eyes on you again. You would take every bit of disdain he may have towards you for your betrayals during battle, for faking your death. You would give everything just to have him back.

Every nerve in your body screamed to rudely interrupt his sleep and demand his affection, his hands over your body and his lips on yours. 

But you couldn’t. 

Your lover had taken his life two days ago. He had impaled himself on his own blade because he thought you were dead. 

He had bled out in your arms, on the floor of your chambers as you had wept in regret and heartache. 

Sanemi was dead. And it was all your fault.

“He has vowed to kill you himself, My Lady,” your messenger said.

You couldn’t blame him. Not really. If you’re being truthful, you understand the impetus.

So why did hearing your lover’s declaration (could you even call him that anymore?) coming from your messenger’s mouth feel like a knife being driven into your heart?

The thought that the very man who would spend hours whispering sweet nothings into your ear, making silly jokes that made you double over laughing, the man who made you feel like just a normal woman instead of an Empress equated to a Goddess, had now taken it upon himself to bring about your demise, was agony to your heart.

You took a deep breath, steeling yourself, ever the picture of grace and composure to your subjects.

“Tell him I have committed suicide.” 

“My- My Lady?”

“You heard me.

You had sent the damned message to protect your life.

But what of your heart?

Your heart that he’d held in his hands. 

The same hands that had held his sword as he fell upon it. The same hands that had held yours, bloodied and broken, but still warm. The same hands that had wiped away your tears as they fell, smearing blood over your face as he whispered his final confession of love towards you, smiling the way he always did.

“We shall meet in another life, my love,” he’d rasped before his hand went limp against your cheek and his body lifeless in your arms.

“SANEMI!”

You lunged forward to grab him from your guards with a piercing cry.

His mouth quivered into a wobbly smile as you clutched onto his broken form with a fierce protectiveness. Or was it a grimace? You sank to the floor, unable to support his weight any longer, resting his back against your raised thigh, holding him by his waist and supporting his head.

You shot a look towards your chamber doors, your guards taking the unspoken order to leave you alone.

“Well hello, dearest,” your lover’s weak voice said, drawing your attention back to him, “It would appear that you’ve lied to me once more.”

How this man found the gall to tease you, even on his deathbed, was admirable.

“Gods, I love you,” you whispered, running your hand along his stubble. It must have grown out during the time you’d been apart. 

He coughed, blood making its way out his mouth, as he clutched at his chest with an agonised groan. As his coughing fit subsided, he grinned at you, showing off his now blood stained teeth, “I love you too.”

You pressed down on his wound the way Shinobu had taught you, looking at him worriedly.

“I shall call for Kocho. You require medical att-”

Sanemi pressed a bloodied hand against your mouth, stopping you from continuing.

“No,” he whispered, “I’m afraid this is where it ends for me. I have decided it does. I fell on my sword because I couldn’t bear to live in a world without you in it. I shall not go back on my decision now.”

You shook your head, eyes pooling with tears, “Yes, but I am here, you fool. I am alive and you must stay with me. How am I to live without you?”

He took a shuddering breath, raising his hand to gently wipe your tears off your face. The metallic sting of iron hit your nose as his hand smeared his blood across your cheeks. His actions did nothing to soothe you, only making you sob more, hugging him tighter to your chest.

You cupped his face and watched as his own tears fell, rivulets of salty water, carving their way through the crusted red near the corner of his mouth. 

“I love you,” he said, his voice shaky, his hand never having left its task of wiping your tears away. “I love you so much, it hurts more than stabbing myself in my chest.”

Another pained exhale. 

“We shall meet in another life, my love,” he rasped, his hand slipping off your cheek and his head lolling back against your leg.

You hugged his body close to you, sobbing against his shoulder, knowing that his fingers would never comfortingly run through your hair again, that he’d wiped your tears off your face for the last time.

“I miss you ‘Nemi,” you murmured, ghosting your fingers across his now clean face. The memory of his features crusted over with blood had made your mind its home, Sanemi’s final moments coming back to you in your nightmares. 

The night of his death, you had refused to part with his body, laying in bed with his cold corpse, desperately praying to Isis to bring him back. To Ra to give you back the man you loved. 

But such is fate. 

The next morning you woke, feeling horrible, still in your royal robes, your eyes puffy from crying, Sanemi still dead, and Caesar’s declaration to take you as prisoner looming over your head.

An idea formed in your head, a way to escape the loss of your dignity and to be reunited with your lover.

“More,” you near sobbed between kisses, “Sanemi, please, I need more.”

His hands were running over your body, trailing over your sides, grabbing at the fat of your thighs, tweaking your nipple, leaving a trail of blazing need behind his touch. He was everywhere. Except where you needed him and it was driving you crazy.

You could feel his achingly hard dick pressing into your stomach. Just above where you wanted it.

Gods, this man was going to make you go insane.

You let out an almost embarrassingly loud moan into his mouth when his finger brushed against your clit, bucking your hips up, seeking more of his touch. 

“Desperate are we, Your Majesty?” he teased, relenting his attack on your lips to trail hot open mouthed kisses down the column of your throat, stopping to suck at your breast, and continuing further down, before suddenly pulling away.

A light smirk played at his lips at your despondent whine. He leaned down, grabbing your wrists and pinning them above your head, hovering his lips above yours.

His lilac gaze darted between your eyes and your lips, “If only Egypt could see the little whore their almighty queen becomes for a filthy Roman, hmm?” 

“If only your wife could see you fucking the Queen of Egypt, hmm?” you bit back, relishing in the way his eyes widened, the scar on his nose crinkling as he grinned at you.

His hand wandered down to rest between your thighs, parting your folds to rub slow circles around your clit, cocky grin never leaving his face. “Don’t you worry, My Queen. I know just what you want.” He brushed his lips along the shell of your ear, before whispering, “And I am going to give it to you.”

With that, he lined himself up with your dripping cunt and gently pushed in, inch- by- inch, drawing it out, making your eyes roll back into your head from the delicious stretch. 

“Alright there?” Sanemi’s voice forced you to open your eyes to meet his concerned gaze. 

Always one to take consent before he obliterated you. 

Letting out a pleased hum, you reach up to thread your fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to kiss him, your tongue moving languidly against his. “Move, ‘Nemi. Please. I can’t take it anymore.”

“Shh I got you, pretty,” he soothes, pulling his hips back, thrusting back into your pulsing heat, eliciting a wanton moan from your lips. 

He set the pace almost torturously slow, his cock moving in and out of your wet heat with sharp calculated thrusts, kissing your cervix every time he sank into you. 

He shifted slightly, pulling your torso up before settling a pillow he’d taken from the currently unused side of the bed under your lower back, gently setting you back. The change in position had your hips propped up, giving Sanemi a lot more leverage over the speed and depth of his thrusts. 

He gave his hips an experimental roll, his lips curling into a self satisfied smirk when you moaned, your fingers digging into his forearm. 

“So- so deep-“ you gasped.

“Am I now?” he groans as he picks up the pace. “C-can’t help it, darling. This sweet cunt is just sucking me in. Gods, you’re so warm- So wet for me. All f’me, huh?”

“Mh-Mhmm- Only for you, Sanemi, only you,” you whined, your walls clamping around him. Your hands found their way to his back, fingernails digging into the battle hardened skin as you clutched onto him, as he feverishly pounded into you.

“I love you,” Sanemi whispered reverently. “Dear Gods, I love you so much.”

Tears rolling down your cheek snapped you out of your reverie. 

The night he’d said 'I love you' for the first time. 

You’d spent the rest of the night tenderly making love, whispering hushed confessions of love to each other. 

He would never say the words to you again. 

Gods, how you missed him. 

You moved aside your robes to reveal the wicker basket hanging next to your leg. Your hands were shaky as you freed it from the rope tying it to the  inside of your robes.

Setting the sealed basket down on the floor, you turned to your dead lover, running a gentle hand along his jaw, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. 

“We shall meet once more, my dearest. In another life, you shall be mine for longer. And I shall cherish your smile with the fire of a thousand suns. Thank you. Our time was short, but precious all the same. I love you.”

You opened the basket, revealing the hissing asp. Smiling, you held your hand out towards the poisonous reptile, allowing it to slither onto your arm. 

You shivered at the coldness of the snake’s skin against the warmth of yours, a pained exhale forcing its way out of you when you felt the fangs pierce through the skin of your forearm. 

By no means were the effects to be immediate, you had done enough research to know that. 

You sat on the floor, next to where Sanemi’s embalmed body lay, for the longest hour of your life, watching the flesh of your forearm begin to bruise and swell up, stinging painfully. All the while you pondered if you should get up and find Shinobu. Make up some excuse about the bite. 

Would your people not consider you a coward should you go through with this?

But was it not a bigger disgrace to be paraded around as a trophy of war? 

No. You would not turn back on your decision. Just as Sanemi had not.

Consumed by the urge to see the face of your lover one last time, you pulled yourself off the floor with great effort, only for a wave of intense nausea to hit you, causing you to double over as you vomited your guts out.

Your legs trembled before giving in under your weight. You vaguely registered your ankle twisting, surely causing a sprain, as your senses dulled. Black spots danced around your vision and your mouth started dribbling foam.

The last thing you heard was a panicked shout of “MY LADY!” before giving in to the warm embrace of death.

tagging: @forest-hashira and @wifeyana

please dont repost or copy my work without my permission

reblogs and comments are always appreciated!

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dividers by @/saradika

[uncleclaudius]

Intaglio set in a ring portraying Roman general and triumvir Mark Antony, presented as made by ancient carver Gnaios.

In 2021 it was proven that the gem is the 19th century forgery.

[ladygriffith]

Historical parallels between Roman Empire and Berserk

Casca was originally a Roman Man:

Publius Servilius Casca

Publius Servilius Casca Longus (died c. 42 BC) was one of the assassins of Julius Caesar. He and several other senators conspired to kill him, a plan which they carried out on 15 March 44 BC. Afterward, Casca fought with the liberators during the Liberators' civil war. He is believed to have died at the Battle of Phillipi either by suicide or by Octavian's forces.

Despite his being initially a childhood friend of Caesar, Casca and his brother Titedius joined in the assassination. Casca struck the first blow, attacking Caesar from behind and hitting his bare shoulders, after Tillius Cimber had distracted the dictator by grabbing his toga. Caesar replied "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?" and tussled with him for several seconds. Casca simultaneously shouted to his brother in Greek, "Brother, help me!" The other assassins then joined in.

Casca joined Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, the leaders of the assassins, during the Liberators' civil war against the Second Triumvirate, Caesar's former supporters.

Casca is commemorated on a coin along with Brutus, in which a bearded figure is depicted next to his name. However, this appears to be the god Neptune rather than a portrait of Casca.

Neptune is the Roman god of freshwater and the sea in Roman religion. He is the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon.

Guts: "Anytime she stands next to water, nothing good ever comes of it ..."

Calpurnia was either the third or fourth wife of Julius Caesar, and the one to whom he was married at the time of his assassination. According to contemporary sources, she was a good and faithful wife, in spite of her husband's infidelity; and, forewarned of the attempt on his life, she endeavored in vain to prevent his murder. Her contemporaries describe Calpurnia as a humble, often shy woman. The night before his assassination, Calpurnia dreamed that Caesar had been wounded, and lay dying in her arms. 

Gaiseric (c. 389 – 25 January 477), also known as Geiseric or Genseric was king of the Vandals and Alans from 428 to 477. He ruled over a kingdom and played a key role in the decline of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century.

(Sack of Rome in 455) Gaiseric's invasion was a devastating blow to the empire itself, so much so that historian Michael Grant claims, "Gaiseric contributed more to the collapse of the western Roman Empire than any other single man."

Before Gaiseric marched upon Rome, Pope Leo I implored him not to destroy the ancient city or murder its inhabitants.

Gaiseric agreed and the gates of Rome were thrown open to him and his men. Once inside the city, the invaders plundered it thoroughly, including the Jupiter Capitolinus temple "Gaiseric contributed more to the collapse of the western Roman Empire than any other single man."

Marcus Junius Brutus was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. He also was close to Caesar. Brutus eventually came to oppose Caesar and sided with Pompey against Caesar's forces during the ensuing civil war (49–45 BC). Pompey was defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48, after which Brutus surrendered to Caesar, who granted him amnesty.

With Caesar's increasingly monarchical and autocratic behaviour after the civil war, several senators who later called themselves liberatores (liberators), plotted to assassinate him.

Popular unrest forced Brutus and his brother-in-law, fellow assassin Gaius Cassius Longinus, to leave Rome. After a complex political realignment, Octavian – Caesar's adopted son – made himself consul and, with his colleague, passed a law retroactively making Brutus and the other conspirators murderers. This led to a second civil war, in which Mark Antony and Octavian fought the liberatores led by Brutus and Cassius. The Caesarians decisively defeated the outnumbered armies of Brutus and Cassius at the two battles at Philippi in October 42. After the defeat Brutus took his own life.

His name has been condemned for betrayal of Caesar, his friend and benefactor.

Et tu, Brute?

[theantonian]

Antony defends his relationship with Cleopatra in a vulgar letter to Octavian

Antony was so angry at Octavian's continuous defamation of his private life that he impulsively wrote a letter to Octavian in which he hotly defended his relationship to Cleopatra and asked how his colleague could dare to criticise him in that regard when he himself was notorious for his loose morals.

He mentioned several of the young man's mistresses by name, "What has come over you? Why are you changed towards me? Is it because I lie with a Queen? She is my wife. Is this a new thing with me? Have I not done so during these last nine years?" You do not sleep with Drusilla only" he wrote. "When you read this letter, if you still have your health and strength, you will probably be dallying with Tertulla, or Terentilla, or Rufilla, or Salvia Titiscenia, or all of them together, for what do you care where, or upon whom you spend your manly vigour?"

His reply made short work of his immoral behaviour and likely created issues with Livia, who, it is fair to assume, being the dominating woman that she was, would not have appreciated the humiliation of having her husband's conjugal infidelity exposed.

I find it really sweet as well as sexy that Antony calls Cleopatra his wife, claims her as his even in such a vulgar context.

[greekmythcomix]

WIP Roman Chickens of the Second Triumvirate

Bawk-tavian again, and the comet of Julius Caesar (from his divinity coin)

Mark Eggtony because I HAD to draw him in THIS costume from Antony and Cleopatra (and also Carry On Cleo 😉) THE LEOPARD SKIN!!

[priapocalypse]

The great irony of the assassination of Julius Caesar was that it resulted in the exact opposite of what the conspirators were hoping to do. Rather than preserve the decayed Republic, it eventually led to the creation of the Roman Empire.

The conspirators sought to return to the Roman Republic of old. However, in hindsight, we know this was never a possibility. The Republic had been rotting for 150 years or so before 44 BCE, and it had become a shitshow. Elections were chaotic affairs of violence with roaming gangs attacking various supporters, and their result (at least in the case of the office of Consul, the highest office in the republic), civil war broke out constantly. I'm way oversimplifying the state of the Republic here because there's a lot of complexity, but at the time it would have been very clear that there really wasn't any hope of reviving the "glory days." Caesar's death was not just putting an end to the newly proclaimed "dictator for life" (dictator perpetuo) - it was also a statement intended to stir the Roman identity's hatred of monarchy. Rome's traditional origin story involved overthrowing an early period of monarchy when the republic was established.

However, instead of restoring the republic, many people rallied around the very popular Caesar and his legacy after his death. He essentially became a martyr symbol during the following war against the conspirators, and more so to those who supported the faction of his young nephew Octavian once the fragile compromise to share the rule of Rome fell apart. The Second Triumvirate, as it was known, split Rome's rule between three people: Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus. Once the conspirators were dealt with, this doomed arrangement fell apart and Rome was plunged into yet another civil war.

By the time this ended with Octavian the winner, the Roman world was weary with war. Most the conquered peoples, especially in the east and Egypt, had been subjected to a century of violence as one Roman faction fought another Roman faction, sacking town and cities in a rotating cycle depending on which Romans (or other rulers/"rebel" factions involved) were in control.

The Roman world wanted to peace. It needed to stabilize and rebuild. Octavian and his pals knew this, and sought to bring that peace about permanently. And they knew this could not be done so long as Rome held on to it's failed idea of a republic.

So they created the Empire, and for a good amount of time, it worked. Peace was gradually restored, expansion slowed, and the Roman world began the process of becoming "Roman."

[linopolitan]

immortal longings characters + their roman counterparts

i've not been on this blog in like literal ages but i just finished reading this book and i figured making these connections might allow for some foresight into the rest of the trilogy but god forbid i put some of my findings on goddamn twitter of all places so here it is

(spoilers under the cut for obvious reasons)

calla tuoleimi (cleopatra, ptolemy) and anton makusa (antony, marcus) are obvious; i think this is the cut and dry point stated for anyone even trying to look into this book

august avia and otta avia = octavian (later, augustus) and his sister, octavia, also mark antony's wife; while tuoleimi is an obvious bastardization of ptolemy, i'm not sure if shenzhi stands for something (or maybe i'm just dumb who knows)

king kasa = caesar/kaiser, bc like yeah

galipei weisanna = marcus vipsanius agrippa (this might be a stretch but its the closest approximation i can find both through their roles in the play and their names)

leida miliu = marcus aemilius lepidus, one of the triumvirates alongside antony and octavian

pampi magnes = sextus pompeius magnus pius, one of the rebels working against the triumvirate

eno = gnaeus domitius ahenobarbus (i could not find anything on this guy other than him being aligned with antony at some point and this pissing off octavian)

chami + yilas = charmion and iras, two of cleo's servants and advisors

pls let me know if i'm missing something or there's something you want to add on bc my brain is going haywire after that ending kek