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Mark Antony....
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Marcus Antonius (c. 83 BC – August 30 BC),
known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. He
was an important supporter of Julius Caesar as a military commander and
administrator. After Caesar's assassination, Antony allied with Octavian
and Marcus Amelius Lepidus to form the second triumvirate. The triumvirate
ended in 33 BC, and Antony committed suicide with Cleopatra in 30 BC.
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Antony was born in
Rome around 83 BC. His father was his
namesake, Marcus Antonius Creticus, the son of the great rhetorician Marcus
Antonius Orator executed by Gaius Marius' supporters in 86 BC. Through his
mother Julia Caesaris, he was a distant cousin and relative of
Julius
Caesar. His father died at a young age, leaving him and his brothers, Lucius
and Gaius, to the care of his mother. |
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Julia Antonia (known in sources by her married name, to
distinguish from the other Julias) then married Publius Cornelius Lentulus
Sura, a politician involved in and executed during the Catiline conspiracy
of 63 BC. Antony's early life was characterized by a lack of parental
guidance. According to historians like Plutarch, he spent his teenage years
roaming through Rome with his brothers and friends (Publius Clodius Pulcher
among them). |
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Together, they embarked on a rather wild sort of
life, frequenting gambling houses, drinking too much, and involving
themselves in scandalous love affairs. Plutarch mentions the rumour that
before Antony reached 20 years of age, he was already indebted the sum of
250 talents (equivalent to several million dollars). After this period of
recklessness, Antony went to
Greece to study rhetoric.
During this visit,
he joined the cavalry in the Roman legions of the proconsul Aulus Gabinius
en route to Syria. In the ensuing campaign, he demonstrated his talents as
a cavalry commander and distinguished himself with bravery and courage. It
was during this campaign that he first visited Egypt
and Alexandria. |
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