Octavian seized Mark Antony’s will from the Temple of Vesta during his propaganda campaign against Antony and Cleopatra. The document had been entrusted to the Vestal Virgins, whose custody gave it religious and legal protection.
In 32 BC, Antony and Cleopatra were based in the eastern Mediterranean while their political rivalry with Octavian intensified. Octavian forcibly obtained the will and publicized selected provisions, turning a private testament into a political weapon. He emphasized claims that Antony planned to distribute Roman territories to his children, recognize Caesarion as Julius Caesar’s heir, and be buried beside Cleopatra in Alexandria.
The seizure was itself controversial because entering the sanctuary violated sacred norms. Octavian used the will to portray Antony as disloyal to Rome and Cleopatra as a threat to Roman authority. Rome formally declared war on Cleopatra rather than Antony, helping Octavian frame the conflict as a defense of the Roman state.