ABSTRACT
The relatively brief span in Roman society between 79 and 49 BC is one of the best documented periods in classical history. A particularly unpopular move was the reduction of free grain distribution to the poor by over 50 per cent, and the granting of Roman citizenship - a highly coveted honour - to provincials and many people in other Latin communities. Mark Antony's antagonism was such that by 43 BC he was demanding the trial of Julius Caesar's assassins with whom he said Cicero was associated. Octavian had made only a minor contribution to Antony's unspectacular retreat, but he demanded that the Senate grant him a consulship as a reward for his services, and to give donatives to his troops. The precarious equilibrium that had been established was upset by another - and key - variable, the appearance of Caesar's nephew, the young Gaius Octavianus who had just returned from Greece.
