annona (Roman grain supply system)

E719646

The annona was the Roman Empire’s state-organized grain supply system that ensured the regular provisioning of Rome and other key cities, particularly through large-scale maritime imports from regions like Egypt.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Roman state institution
grain supply system
imperial provisioning system
administeredBy praefectus annonae NERFINISHED
associatedPolicy frumentatio
grain dole
controlledBy Roman emperor NERFINISHED
country Roman Empire
economicRole integrated provincial agriculture into imperial system
regulated grain prices and supply
etymology derived from Latin annus (year), referring to yearly harvest
impact contributed to growth of Rome’s population
linked imperial legitimacy to reliable food supply
keyDevelopmentPeriod early Principate
languageOfName Latin NERFINISHED
legalStatus state-controlled system
logisticalFeature state contracts with private shippers
storage in horrea (granaries)
use of large grain ships (naves frumentariae)
mainDestination city of Rome NERFINISHED
mainSourceRegion Egypt NERFINISHED
North Africa NERFINISHED
Sardinia NERFINISHED
Sicily NERFINISHED
notableEmperorInvolved Augustus NERFINISHED
Claudius NERFINISHED
Trajan NERFINISHED
periodOfUse Roman Empire NERFINISHED
Roman Republic NERFINISHED
portOfEntry Ostia NERFINISHED
Portus NERFINISHED
primaryFunction ensure regular grain provisioning of Rome
organize large-scale grain imports
stabilize urban food supply
productHandled grain
wheat
purpose maintain public order through food security
prevent famine in Rome
support free or subsidized grain distributions
relatedInstitution cura annonae NERFINISHED
praefectus annonae NERFINISHED
servedCity Ostia NERFINISHED
Puteoli NERFINISHED
Rome NERFINISHED
servedRegion Italian peninsula NERFINISHED
supervisingOffice prefect of the annona
symbolicRepresentation personified as the goddess Annona on Roman coinage
transportMode maritime shipping
river transport on the Tiber

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Classis Alexandrina associatedWith annona (Roman grain supply system)