Virgil used the pre-existing myth of Astraea within a political frame in order to hail the dawning Augustan rule, signaling the return of harmony and lack of war, conflict and suffering; he adds that Astraea's return will be accompanied by the arrival of a child who will also kick off Augustus' new golden age. What is the identity of the child that would escort Astraea is the subject of much debate; it has been speculated that Virgil meant the son of Gaius Asinius Pollio, the consul to whom the poem was dedicated; or the marriage of Mark Antony and Octavia the Younger, Augustus' sister; or even Alexander Helios, the son of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
Virgil used the pre-existing myth of Astraea with.in a political frame in order to hail the dawning Augustan rule, signaling the return of harmony and lack of war, conflict and suffering; he adds that Astraea's return will be accompanied by the arrival of a child who will also kick off Augustus' new golden age. What is the identity of the child that would escort Astraea is the subject of much debate; it has been speculated that Virgil meant the son of Gaius Asinius Pollio, the consul to whom the poem was dedicated; or the marriage of Mark Antony and Octavia the Younger, Augustus' sister; or even Alexander Helios, the son of Cleopatra and Mark Antony