in late 34 bc, following the donations of alexandria, antony and octavian engaged in a heated war of propaganda that would last for years. antony claimed that his rival had illegally deposed lepidus from their triumvirate and barred him from raising troops in italy. octavian accused antony of unlawfully detaining the king of armenia, marrying cleopatra despite still being married to his sister octavia, and wrongfully claiming caesarion as the heir of caesar instead of octavian. the litany of accusations and gossip associated with this propaganda war have shaped popular perceptions of cleopatra from augustan-period literature to various media in modern times.