Your Day in the Ancient Greek World
August 1
August 1 in ancient Greece is represented in our source-audited archive by 2 verified records spanning 251 BC to 30 BC. Together, the entries below connect this calendar date with different moments in the ancient Greek world through historical and documentary evidence.
Across the centuries
On This Day
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251 BC
Life on This Day
A Greek Letter Is Written in Ptolemaic Egypt
On August 1, 251 BC, a Greek letter preserved as P.Col. 3.50 was written in Ptolemaic Egypt, preserving a securely dated fragment of everyday correspondence.
Sources
Primary evidence
- P.Col. 3.50
Modern scholarship
- Papyri.info / institutional papyrological catalogue tradition
Public links
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30 BC
Event That Shaped History
Octavian Captures Alexandria
On August 1, 30 BC, Octavian captured Alexandria, bringing the Ptolemaic capital under his control and ending the final military resistance of Antony and Cleopatra.
Sources
Primary evidence
- Orosius, Historiae adversus paganos 6.19
- Fasti Antiates tradition
Modern scholarship
- T. C. Skeat, The Last Days of Cleopatra: A Chronological Problem, Journal of Roman Studies
Public links