The Triumvirs defeated the "Liberators" in the Battle of Philippi in Macedonia in October 42 BCE. The battle involved over 200,000 men, about equally split. Ptolemaic Egypt supported the Truimvirs while the Parthian Empire sent a cavalry force to aid the Liberators. Brutus faced Octavian while Antony's legions fought Cassius. Both Cassius and Brutus committed suicide. Antony is said to have covered Brutus' body with a purple cloth as a sign of respect. They had not been friends, but Brutus had insisted, as a condition of going along with the plot to kill Caesar, that Antony be spared. Victory over their shared enemies left the three leaders with no one to fight but each other. Marc Antony, who controlled the wealthy provinces of Egypt and Anatolia, on the border of Parthia, allied himself with the Ptolemaic queen, Cleopatra VII. Lepidus was easily sidelined by Octavian, who controlled all of Italy and Gaul. ![[Media/Roman-Empire-39BC-sm.png]] *Green = Antony's territory, brown = Lepidus', pink = Octavian* ----- Next: [[7.7 - Cleopatra]] Back: [[7.5 - Octavian]]