This is CBS I In The World.

I'm John Bachelorette, Professor Barry Strass of Cornell University.

His new book is The War That Made The Roman Empire, Antony Cleopatra, an Octavian at

Actium.

The lovers of Fletch, Cleopatra and Antony, they fled back towards Alexandria.

At some point Alexandria is aware of the fact that there's been a defeat, but they don't

learn it from Cleopatra.

The Pachel returns in triumph, returning to her palace.

She rules a very, very powerful empire, a very rich empire, the richest of all.

They have gold mines in Egypt.

Antony, on the other hand, having left his army, abandoned his army, is in despair, what

the Romans called melancholy.

And Professor, I love the senior percent of Antony building a little shelter on a jetty

and acting depressed and in despairing.

Was that artful on his part or genuine?

Can we tell?

We can't tell.

I mean, the sources say that he really was depressed and perhaps he was.

But I could also imagine that this was an act of cunning on us part to make people underestimate

him, because it's always useful for leaders to be underestimated and to have a little

fly under the radar.

I don't think that Antony had quite given up yet.

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