Part of the making of Octavian was the victories he had early in his career. He defeated his rivals, conquered territory, and united the senate behind him whether they liked it or not.

One of those territories was Illyria, in which he conducted campaigns during the quiet years before his final battles against Egypt and Antony. It’s perhaps in Illyria that we see Octavian display his greatest acts of bravery, if not ability.

Guest: Dr Christopher Gribbin (Adjunct Lecturer, La Trobe University)