A brief note should be made of Antony's Cleopatran diversions. First, Italian Romans were in no way at the point of tolerating anything hinting at a demotion in status in comparison to another region of the state. Second, Egypt under Cleopatra appeared to most Romans as an odd melding of Pharaonic and Hellenic, with none of the positive attributes of republican government and society. Third, and perhaps most directly resonant at the time, though Romans were soon to live under monarchs in all but name, citizens of the republic had a deep, chronic distaste for kings. This was what Egypt had, and what Mark Antony was purported by Octavian's propagandists to have in store for Rome.

Popular pages: The Roman Empire (60 BCE-160 CE)