On 2 September 31 BCE the entrance to the Gulf of Ambracia was full of Roman and Egyptian warships. The battle of Actium, one of the most crucial military encounters of the ancient world, brought face to face Octavian, adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Octavian won and was given the title of Augustus. He abolished the republican regime in Rome and founded the Empire, a new era that brought peace and prosperity to the Mediterranean region. It was the glorious Pax Romana.