octavian entered alexandria and gave a speech of reconciliation at the gymnasium before settling in the palace and seizing cleopatra's three youngest children. when she met with octavian she looked disheveled but still retained her poise and classic charm. she told him bluntly, "i will not be led in a triumph" () according to livy, a rare recording of her exact words. octavian promised that he would keep her alive but offered no explanation about his plans for her kingdom. when a spy informed her that octavian planned to move her and her children to rome in three days she prepared for suicide. she had no intention of being paraded in a roman triumph like her sister arsinoe iv. it is unclear if cleopatra's suicide, in august 30 bc at age 39, took place within the palace or her tomb. it is said her servants eiras and charmion also took their own lives to accompany her. octavian was apparently angered by this outcome but had her buried in royal fashion next to antony in her tomb. cleopatra's physician olympos did not give an account of the cause of her death. the popular belief is that she allowed an asp, or egyptian cobra, to bite and poison her. plutarch relates this tale, but then suggests an implement ("knestis") was used to introduce the toxin by scratching. cassius dio says that she injected the poison with a needle ("belone"), and strabo argued for an ointment of some kind. no venomous snake was found with her body, but she did have tiny puncture wounds on her arm that could have been caused by a needle.