Mark Antony
Roman politician and general who helped transform the Republic into the Empire
Byzantium565 · via Wikipedia: Mark Antony · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mark Antony was a Roman politician and general born in Rome on 14 January 83 BC.[1] He was an ally of Julius Caesar and the main rival of his successor Octavian.[2] Three of the first five Roman emperors—Caligula, Claudius and Nero—were Antony’s direct descendants.[2]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 14 January 83 BC
- Birthplace
- Rome, Italy
- Died
- 1 August 30 BC (aged 53)
- Place of death
- Alexandria, Ptolemaic Kingdom
- Cause of death
- Suicide
- Resting place
- Unlocated tomb (probably in Egypt)
- Citizenship
- Roman
- Occupation
- Politician, soldier
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Antony’s father was Marcus Antonius Creticus, and his mother Julia was a third cousin of Julius Caesar.[3] After Caesar’s assassination, Antony fled Rome dressed as a slave but soon returned to protect his friend’s legacy.[2] Along with Octavian and Lepidus, Antony formed the Second Triumvirate, splitting Rome’s provinces between them.[2] In 41 BC Antony began an affair with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, who had been Caesar’s lover.[2]
Mark Antony died on August 1, 30 BC after stabbing himself with a sword.[2] At the Battle of Phillipi, Antony defeated Caesar's assassins Brutus and Cassius, which established his reputation as a general.[2]
What the cited sources add
Plutarch records that Antony’s grandfather was the orator Antonius, who was put to death by Marius.[4] Plutarch states that Antony’s intimate friendship with Curio led him into drinking bouts and extravagant expenditures, causing a debt of two hundred and fifty talents.[4] Plutarch notes that Antony adopted the Asiatic style of oratory, which was swashbuckling and boastful.[4] The HISTORY.com account reports that after Antony’s death his honors were all revoked and his statues removed.[2]
Cicero decreed that no one in Antony’s family would ever bear the name Mark Antony again.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Mark Antony" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mark Antony", HISTORY, 24 October 2019; Plutarch, Life of Antony 86.5.; Suerbaum 1980, 327–334.; Plutarch, "The Life of Marcus Antonius", 36, 60.; Plutarch, "The Life of Marcus Antonius", 36, 60.; Pliny the Elder, viii. 16. s. 21; comp. Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum, x. 13.; Eckhel, Doctrina Numorum Veterum, vi. pp. 38, 44.; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 210 ("Antonia Gens"). (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Mark Antony", HISTORY, 24 October 2019. facts only, no text reused. history.com
- Wikipedia, "Mark Antony" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Huzar 1978, p. 14 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Plutarch, "The Life of Marcus Antonius", 36, 60.. facts only, no text reused. penelope.uchicago.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mark Antony (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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