The September 2nd of the year 31 av. J. - C. during a Roman civil war , large a naval Bataille is held close to Actium, on the Western coast of the Greece, in the Golfe ambracic, in the south of the island of Corfou.

Descriptions of the battle are rather vague, even contradictory and all were written to celebrate the winner.

The fleet of Octave (or Octavien), the nephew and wire adoptive of Jules César, ordered by Agrippa, strong approximately three hundred and fifty relatively light ships forms a Ligne of battle vis-a-vis the three hundred (undoubtedly less, certain ancient authors indicating 170 or 180 units) heavy vessels (between 500 and 1.000 tons metric) equipped with catapults of Marc Antoine and ships Egyptian more mobile of Cléopâtre VII, the most famous lovers of the Antiquité.

Heat, the malaria and thirst push united to force the blockade of Octave and to start the combat. But, trapped by unfavourable winds (the ancient ships could neither go back to the wind, nor Louvoyer), they do not manage to group their attack and a great number of ships is burnt. According to Plutarque, 5.000 men were killed, according to Orose, 12.000 to which are added 6.000 wounded 1.000 did not survive.

That being, the victory of Actium, undeniable, was not as clear as propaganda octavienne sought to make it believe. Thus a large part of the fleet of Antoine went after the battle with a haste so suspect that some spoke about treason of its chiefs (of which Caius Sosius).

Marc Antoine and Cléopâtre manage to flee but will commit suicide one year later.

This battle marks the end of the disorders resulting from the civil wars which shook Rome since -50, and allows Octave, the future Auguste, to impose itself as absolute master of the incipient empire.