naval engagement, landmark, ancient

Battle of Actium

Name: Battle of Actium
Location: Ionian Sea, Greece

Battle of Actium was a naval engagement fought on 2 September 31 BC at Ionian Sea, in what is now Greece. It was part of the Final War of the Roman Republic, which ran from 32 BC to 30 BC. The recorded result: Octavian's victory.

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Fought2 September 31 BC

WhereIonian Sea, Greece38.925N, 20.725E

OutcomeOctavian's victory

BelligerentsOctavian's forcesagainstAntony's forces; Ptolemaic Egypt

Casualties and lossesAbout 2,500 killedandOver 5,000 killed; 250 ships sunk or captured

Part ofFinal War of the Roman Republic32 BC to 30 BC

Record

Date	2 September 31 BC
Place	Ionian Sea, Greece 38.925N, 20.725E
Kind	Naval engagement, ancient
Strength	250–400 galleys; 16,000 infantry on ships; 3,000 archers	250–500 larger galleys; 30–50 transports; 20,000–70,000 infantry on ships; 2,000 archers
Casualties and losses	About 2,500 killed	Over 5,000 killed; 250 ships sunk or captured
Commanders	Augustus Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Lucius Arruntius (consul 22 BC) Marcus Lurius	Mark Antony Gaius Sosius Lucius Gellius Poplicola Cleopatra

The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Battle of Preveza 1911, 2.9 km N
Battle of Preveza 1538, 4.4 km NE
Siege of Santa Maura 1810, 9.0 km S
Battle of Nicopolis 1798, 9.9 km N
Siege of Santa Maura 1684, 24 km S

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 31 BC and 1911.

In the same war

After: Battle of Alexandria 31 July 30 BC

Battle of Actium is one of 159 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 493 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q160387, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Actium, revision 1382980061, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.