Grain in Rome?

[cynthia sloate]

I would be interested to hear what anyone has to say regarding what actual type of grain was meant when referred to in both the grain dole and the legions rations. It seems I have come across it being corn in most instances but also as being wheat, as well as frumentum being just any grain in general.

 

I hope that I have posted in the correct place for this question - it is my first post/question.

 

Thank You!

Edited February 1, 2010 by cynthia sloate

[Nephele]

"Corn" is an Old English word generally meaning "grain"

[Melvadius]

Archaeologically there are (at least) three types of wheat which are commonly found on Roman sites the precise proportion of each at any one site vary depending upon a number of factors including how wet or dry the soil usually is (its one reason the Scots and Irish favoured oats and not just as animal feed), which part of the Empire you are looking at and to some extent which period.

 

There is a suggestion that if the same location provides evidence for more than one variety being grown the Roman military authorities may have favoured one over the others with the 'less favoured' variety usually presumed to have been grown for personal consumption.

 

The main ancient wheat varieties found are:

 

Einkorn

Emmer

Spelt

 

Its not an archaeological site but Shipton Mill has a good basic history of each of these varieties.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Melvadius

[Centurion-Macro]

Just adding to the topic, and you might not be interested in this, but Rome got most of its grain from Sicily (after it became Roman) until they conquered Egypt, and then the Emperors were able to give out free rations of grain for public support.

[Centurion Marcus Valerius]

I've seen a number of references to "corn" in the ancient world.

 

Does this refer to the same grain common to the modern world, or is Roman corn something different?

 

Thanks for any responses!

 

No Roads Lead to Rome

[Ursus]

Europeans sometimes use the term "corn" as a generic for what Americans call grain. A lot of older European scholars use it in that sense. Corn specifically they tend to refer to as "maize."

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

And if I'm not wrong Maize (which is, I believe, ma

[docoflove1974]

I just did a quickie search on here, as the topic of 'corn' has come up several times. We used to have a regular contributor, Andrew Dalby, who was an expert in this field. At any rate, it seems that most of the time the consensus here is that 'corn' refers to either a grain, or either wheat or barley.

[caldrail]

I think they did differentiate between wheat and barley. Barley was after all considered an animal food, used as a punishment meal by the legions and given to gladiators as a staple of their diet (though I admit it had desirable side effects)

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

I think they did differentiate between wheat and barley. Barley was after all considered an animal food, used as a punishment meal by the legions and given to gladiators as a staple of their diet (though I admit it had desirable side effects)

Yes, the ancients did separate the two, as we can also see from Thucydides for exemple, who gives us the detailled diet of the Spartan on Sphacteria during the negociations, and they ate barley (if barley is the french "orge", no time to check right now...). Romans and Greeks had different tastes in that area, and even amongst greeks we find differences.

[Melvadius]

I've seen a number of references to "corn" in the ancient world.

 

Does this refer to the same grain common to the modern world, or is Roman corn something different?

 

Thanks for any responses!

 

No Roads Lead to Rome

 

I would refer you back to the first couple of responses on this thread for more details but to recap as has already been pointed out 'corn' means something totally different in Europe to America where the confusion with maize sometimes arises.

 

Depending upon who was writing 'corn' in translations of Roman texts could mean a number of different food crops but primarily includes three different forms of wheat as well as barley and possibly oats. I believe that the majority of the 'grain' dole would however have been made up of one of the varieties of wheat.

 

N.B. Maize was unknown in Europe until the 16th or 17th centuries at the earliest and if I am not mistaken not really commercially grown (at least in northern Europe) until the 20th century.