Summary This article revises the existing explanations for the marriage between Octavian and Scribonia, which emphasised the young Caesar’s desire for an accommodation with Sextus Pompeius, including a mutual normalization of relations and even an alliance. In reality, such actions were never on the agenda of either politician. The marriage to Scribonia was primarily a message addressed by Octavian to Antonius during a period of tense relations in the year 40 BCE, but also to the Roman plebs and to the (...) veterans. (shrink)