View source for Actium

{{Short description|Town of ancient Acarnania in Greece}}
{{Distinguish|Actinium}}
{{Redirect|Aktion|the German political and literary magazine|Die Aktion}}
[[File:Battle of Actium-en.svg|thumb|300px|A map showing the [[Battle of Actium]].]]
'''Actium''' or '''Aktion''' ({{langx|grc|Ἄκτιον}}) was a town on a promontory in [[ancient Acarnania]] at the entrance of the [[Ambraciot Gulf]], off which [[Augustus|Octavian]] gained his celebrated victory, the [[Battle of Actium]], over [[Mark Antony|Antony]] and [[Cleopatra]], on September 2, 31&nbsp;BC.

==History==
[[File:Castro Battle of Actium.jpg|thumb|[[Battle of Actium]] by [[Laureys a Castro]], 1672. Note anachronisms.]]
Actium belonged originally to the [[Ancient Corinth|Corinth]]ian colonists of [[Anactorium]], who probably founded the sanctuary of [[Apollo|Apollo Actius]].<ref>E. Kristen: "The Origins of the first inhabitants of Nicopolis", Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Nicopolis, 1984</ref><ref>{{Cite Thucydides|1.29}}</ref> This temple was of great antiquity.  In the 3rd century&nbsp;BC it fell to the Acarnanians, who subsequently held their religious summits there.

There was also an ancient festival named [[Actia]], celebrated here in honour of the god. Augustus after his victory enlarged the temple, and revived the ancient festival, which was henceforth celebrated once in five years (πενταετηρίς, ludi quinquennales), with musical and gymnastic contests, and horse races.<ref>[[Dio Cassius]] 51.1; [[Suetonius]] ''Aug.'' 18.</ref>

We learn from a Greek inscription found on the site of Actium, and which is probably prior to the time of Augustus, that the chief priest of the temple was called Ἱεραπόλος, and that his name was employed in official documents, like that of the first Archon at Athens, to mark the date.<ref>[[August Böckh]], ''Corpus Inscript.'' No. 1793.</ref> [[Strabo]] says that the temple was situated on an eminence, and that below was a plain with a grove of trees, and a dock-yard;<ref>{{Cite Strabo|p. 325}}</ref> and in another passage he describes the harbour as situated outside of the gulf.<ref>{{Cite Strabo|p. 451}}</ref>

On the opposite coast of Epirus, Augustus founded the city of [[Nicopolis]] in honour of his victory. After the foundation of Nicopolis, a few buildings sprang up around the temple, and it served as a kind of suburb to Nicopolis.

==Archaeology==
On October 8, 1980, the Greek Ministry of Transport and Communications reported that shipwrecks from the Battle of Actium had been located at Actium near the entrance to the Ambracan Gulf.<ref>"Greece Reports Finding Wrecks Of Romans Ships— Buried Vessels Are Linked to the Battle of Actium", by Paul Anastasi, ''The New York Times'', October 8, 1980, pA3</ref>

In Summer 2009, archaeologists discovered the ruins of the Temple of Apollo and found two statue heads, one of Apollo, one of Artemis (Diana).

==See also==
*[[Battle of Actium]]
* [[List of ancient Greek cities]]
* [[Preveza]], the nearest modern town, connected by a 1.5 km long tunnel 

{{coord|38.953|N|20.768|E|display=title|source:dewiki}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{DGRG|title=Actium}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Actium}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Greece]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Western Greece]]
[[Category:Corinthian colonies]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Greece]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Greece]]


{{AncientAcarnania-geo-stub}}
[[Category:Populated places in ancient Acarnania]]