Commodus: the annona civica, grain market regulation and the connection with the Antonine Plague

[Prieure de Sion]

Commodus: the annona civica, grain market regulation and the connection with the Antonine Plague

  

 

Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus
Reign: Commodus; Mint: Rome; Date: 184 AD; Nominal: Denarius; Material: Silver; Diameter: 18mm; Weight: 2.60g; Reference: RIC III Commodus 94a; OCRE Online: http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.3.com.94a; Reference: Yorth CRI.184.1a; Rare: R2; Provenance: Nomos Numismatics Zurich, Switzerland (Auction 28, Lot 1294); Pedigree: –

Obverse: Head of Commodus, laureate, right; Inscription: M COMMODVS ANTON AVG PIVS; Translation: Marcus Commodus Antoninus Augustus Pius; Reverse: Three-legged modius with seven stalks of grain; Inscription: P M TR P VIIII IMP VII COS IIII P P; Translation: Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Nona, Imperator Septimum, Consul Quartum, Pater Patriae; Translation: High priest, holder of tribunician power for the ninth time, Imperator for the seventh time, consul for the fourth time, father of the nation.

 

Modius, Pompeii, 1st century AD

Modius (bushel measure) was a Roman volume measure that is already mentioned in the Bible in the parable of the light under the bushel. It corresponded to the metze. For dry goods, which is what it was intended for, the measure was called 1 modius = ⅓ amphora. For liquid goods, 1 modius = 16 sextaries = about 8.7 litres. The modius itself was a wooden vessel with staves and fittings that frequently appears on Roman coins as an attribute of the goddess Annona and Ceres. In the case of the former, a motif frequently used for Annona coinage. The Roman emperors minted these coins to indicate their achievements and the imperial generosity for the grain supply of the city of Rome by securing supplies from the provinces. In connection with Annona, ears of corn often protrude from the top of the vessel, in connection with Ceres poppies. The modius occasionally appears as the sole coin image, for example on the Quadrans small bronzes under Emperor Claudius – or also as on the Denarius of Commodus presented here. On Greek coins of the Hellenistic period, the modius was also used as a headdress of Greek gods when they were related to the grain harvest or fertility, such as Demeter or Serapis.

The cura annonae (from Latin cura “care”, “supervision” and annona “annual yield”, “food”) was the supervision of the grain donations (annona civica) of the city of Rome in antiquity. The original cura annonae was the responsibility of the curule aediles in republican times. One of their tasks was to buy grain on behalf of the state in the event of famine and to sell it on to the citizens at a favourable price. The office also included setting the market price for grain regardless of yield and demand. With the growth of the urban Roman population and the simultaneous decline of agriculture in Italy, grain increasingly had to be brought from more distant provinces. The city of Rome had held a monopoly on grain from Sicily since the Punic Wars. At the end of the Republic, grain was distributed free of charge. Since the establishment of the monarchy by Augustus, the supervision of grain distribution was the responsibility of an administration led by praefecti annonae appointed by the emperors. In this way, the emperors, who since Augustus were ultimately responsible for the annona civica, allowed themselves to be celebrated as benefactors and providers of the city of Rome. Only those Roman citizens who were registered in certain lists were entitled to receive it; it was not a matter of need. In the early and high imperial period, the grain was distributed in the Porticus Minucia on the Field of Mars, and from the 3rd century onwards also in other places. From the high imperial period onwards, the annona civica included not only grain, but also North African olive oil, pork and wine from Italy. The grain now came mainly from North Africa and Egypt; in late antiquity, however, the grain from the Nile went to Constantinople, whose population also received an annona civica from the 4th century onwards.

 

Panem et circenses, Gianni Previdi

Was Commodus’ full-bodied announcement of a happy age and his striving for the favour of the people the trigger for the severe plague epidemic in Rome? This is the thesis and conclusion reached by Morris Silver in his publication “the plague under Commodus as an unintended consequence of Roman grain market regulation”. The intervention of the Roman state in the free market economy, for example in the grain market, was a delicate instrument (as is still the case today when the state apparatus intervenes in the free market). If the state makes certain products available free of charge or at reduced prices, imposes upper limits on prices or places products under legal regulation – this may be done out of good will, but it often leads to the opposite, the destabilisation of the corresponding market. It was no different with regard to the secure supply of grain for the population. Roman emperors distributed grain free of charge, capped prices, prohibited speculation, confiscated hoarded grain, prohibited exports or forced traders to hand over certain quantities of grain. These state-imposed steps brought a short-term solution to the problem of a threatening grain shortage and the resulting threat of hunger – but sometimes led to more far-reaching problems in the months and years to come. State intervention had made the grain trade too uncertain for many landowners and middle-class merchants. Government intervention – through price caps or confiscations – often averted the threat of famine in the short term, but as a result the economic interest of producers and traders to engage in the grain market in the future declined. This subsequently led to an even greater shortage. Only speculators continued to try to make a profit – which further destabilised the market.

Commodus promised the people an unprecedented golden age of prosperity and happiness. This included, as depicted on this denarius, securing the supply of grain – be it free of charge or at a reduced price. Necessary for this was, as already mentioned, an intervention in the free market economy, as had already happened under the emperors before Commodus – in itself nothing unusual. According to Herodian, however, under Commodus the state apparatus went one step further – perhaps one or two steps too far. In order to present Commodus in an even better light to the people, his Praefect and Camerarius Marcus Aurelius Cleander is said to have devised a plan to buy up and store grain and then distribute it generously at the first sign of shortage. This artificial intervention probably led to a destabilisation of the grain market. In larger quantities than usual, even the citizens of Rome began to hoard grain in their private houses; trade came to a standstill, the situation got more and more out of control and a great famine was looming. Now, according to Cassius Dio, the grain prefect (praefectus annonae) Marcus Aurelius Papirius Dionysius came into play. In 189 AD, the cabals of the go-getting Cleander caused Dionysius to be relieved of his duties as prefect of Egypt and reinstated as the aforementioned grain prefect. In revenge for the humiliation, the prefect exploited his office to artificially force a looming famine in Rome by deliberately withholding Cleander’s grain reserves through deception. In doing so, he probably triggered a revolt in the Circus Maximus during a horse race and managed to portray Cleander as the responsible trigger of the unrest. Commodus then had the apparent author of the food shortage and his son killed in order to calm the angry crowd. In the same year, Dionysius met the same fate. He was probably executed at the emperor’s behest because of the events connected with his office as grain prefect.

 

Antonine Plague 

After famine, political unrest and purges, the outbreak of the plague occurred immediately afterwards; probably the bubonic plague. Cassius Dio reports: “Moreover, a plague occurred, the greatest that I know of, for in Rome two thousand people often died in a single day”. Herodian adds: “Around this time, the whole of Italy was ravaged by the plague. In Rome the suffering was particularly great, as the city, which received people from all over the world, was overcrowded. The city suffered great losses of people and animals”. In his publication, Morris Silver sees a connection between the failed regulation of the grain market and the outbreak of bubonic plague in Rome under Commodus. At the very least, however, it was at least conducive to the spread of the epidemic. Large quantities of grain were stored by the state apparatus, but also by speculators. Above all, however, Roman citizens hoarded considerable quantities – more than usual – of grain in their private houses. Large grain stores and improperly stored grain in private rooms not designed for this purpose are ideal conditions for rats and thus breeding grounds for diseases. The high number of weakened people after the famine did the rest to let the bubonic plague rage in Rome. Thus, Commodus’ – certainly well-intentioned – striving for a golden age of happiness and prosperity may have led to the opposite in the end due to intrigues of his minions and officials.

 

For more Information Morris Silver, The Plague under Commodus as an unintended Consequence of Roman Grain Market Regulation at academia for free download: klick here

 

[Prieure de Sion]

PS: feel free to post other "Modius" coins - or other coins related to the grain supply or even a plague - or whatever you think relates to the topic.

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Great post. Thank you. The state of Egypt has something like the annona with state subsidized bread (Aysh) at the civic bakeries. If you show up at one of these bakeries, all over Cairo and throughout the country even in small villages, you can obtain a loaf of bread for five piastres. Typically women buy 5 loaves in the early AM for 25 piastres which is a quarter of an Egyptian pound. Currently the pound is worth 3 U.S. cents. So for 3/5 of a cent one can procure 5 loaves. Similarly fish (Samak), olive oil, and fava beans (needed to make fuul) are subsidized by the state. Hence one of the poorest nations supports a population which has reached 100 million people. Most of the wheat comes from Ukraine and the U.S. No longer the breadbasket of the Mediterranean but planted with cash crops such as sugar cane, sorghum, and cotton, it is common to see disassembled monuments throughout the countryside and their marble blocks re-purposed to build kilns to reduce the sugar cane. Since the 19th century this has been the fate of the Greco-Roman ruins.

Edited May 24, 2023 by Ancient Coin Hunter

[Edessa]

Hadrian. AD 117-138. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.04g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 137/138. Obv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P; Laureate head right. Rev: ANNO-NA AVG; Modius holding four stalks of grain and one poppy. Ref: RIC II.3 2316; RSC 170a. Very Fine, nicely toned. Ex Peus 434 (27 Apr 2023), Lot 536. 

[Curtisimo]

Here is a Hadrian travel series with a basket of grain at the feet of Africa.

Roman Empire
Hadrian (AD 117 – 138)
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 134 – 138 
Dia.: 17 mm
Wt.: 2.98 g
Obv.: HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP; Laureate head right
Rev.: AFRICA; Africa with elephant headdress reclining left, holding scorpion and cornucopia, basket of grain at feet
Ex L. Rose Collection

…and here is a coin with Commodus.

Roman Empire
Commodus under Marcus Aurelius
AE Sestertius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 179
Dia.: 33 mm
Wt.: 26.37 g
Obv.: L AVREL COMMODVS AVG TR P IIII; Laureate head of Commodus right
Rev.: IMP III COS II P P S C; Minerva standing left extending right hand, left hand resting on shield on ground to right, spear resting against shield
Ref.: RIC III 1607 p. 342 (under Marcus Aurelius)
Ex Kenneth W. Dorney Auction 9, Lot 105 (Nov. 29, 2019)

[Roman Collector]

The Antonines were WAY into Annona!

[Marsyas Mike]

Great post @Prieure de Sion.  Commodus fascinates me, and I snap up his coins whenever I can afford them.  Unfortunately this leads to some rather unattractive specimins, such as these two issued for him featuring Annona.

First, a sestertius issued around the same time as the OP:

Commodus Æ Sestertius (183-184 A.D.) Rome Mint [M CO]MMODVS ANTONINVS AVG PIVS laureate head r. / ANN [AVG] PM T[R P VIIII IMP VI COS] IIII P P S-C, Annona standing left, holding statuette & cornucopiae, modius & ship with 2 figures. RIC 407?.  (24.11 grams / 28 mm) eBay Mar. 2020  Note:  OCRE and auctions are riddled with errors; Annona holding a statuette comes in several variations.  This one has ANN and PM early in rev. legend with Annona holding statuette. RIC 407 is a guess. RIC 442 with rev. legend ANNO AVG TR P VIIII does not match.

Here's a dupondius issued a bit earlier: 

Commodus  Æ Dupondius (181 A.D.)  Rome Mint M COMMODVS ANT[ONINVS AVG], radiate head right / ANN AVG PROV [DEOR TR P VI] IMP IIII COS III PP, SC, Annona standing left holding cornucopiae and corn-ears, modius left.   RIC III 313A.  (12.40 grams / 24 x 22 mm) eBay Nov. 2020    

 

 

[David Atherton]

Excellent write-up and beautiful coin!!

This is probably my favourite modius type I have.

 

Titus as Caesar [Vespasian]

AR Denarius, 3.22g

Rome Mint, 77-78 AD
Obv: T CAESAR VESPASIANVS; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r.
Rev: IMP XIII across field; Modius, standing on three legs, containing five ears of corn upright and two hanging over the sides
RIC 985A. BMC -. RSC -. BNC -.
Ex CNG eAuction 487, 10 March 2021, lot 515.

A unique and unpublished new type for Titus Caesar. In RIC II.1, page 129, note 186 reads as follows: 'A plated example of this coin with rev IMP XIII (Budapest) suggests the possibility that the parallel issue for Titus might have used this modius reverse type (if such a coin was the prototype for the ancient imitation), though no examples have yet been attested.' Dr. Lucia Carbone, Assistant Curator for Roman Coins, at the American Numismatic Society has confirmed this coin as 'the prototype for the silver-plated fourrée in the Budapest museum.... The T preceding CAESAR on the obverse is absolutely clear and there is no doubt about the identification of the obverse.' The small denarius issue from which this coin was struck consists of three reverse types: goatherd, modius, and sow with piglets. Previously, all three were known for Vespasian, but only the goatherd and sow types had been attested for Titus Caesar. In hand there is the faintest trace of the reading IMP XIII on the reverse. We can now confidently add the modius type for Titus to complete our picture of the series - a tremendous discovery!

 

Edited May 25, 2023 by David Atherton

[Prieure de Sion]

38 minutes ago, Marsyas Mike said:

Great post @Prieure de Sion. 

Thanks...

 

38 minutes ago, Marsyas Mike said:

Unfortunately this leads to some rather unattractive specimins,

But I don't think the two coins are that bad. First of all, it's a beautiful patina colour. Many bronzes of Commodus are badly worked and the patina is worn. Yours have a very nice patina colour. Secondly, on your coins you can still see how beautiful the profiles of the portraits are - especially the young portrait must have been very beautiful - you can still see it.

Don't denigrate your coins 😉 - they are beautiful.

[Prieure de Sion]

5 minutes ago, David Atherton said:

Excellent write-up and beautiful coin!!

Thanks David...

5 minutes ago, David Atherton said:

Titus as Caesar [Vespasian]

Great Titus portrait - also nice details at the reverse - very vivid, you could think the Modius with the grain was standing in front of you.

6 minutes ago, David Atherton said:

a tremendous discovery!

Cool! Thats fascinating...

[AncientOne]

Wonderful write-up! Here's the Greek equivalent, kalathos.

 

Cappadocia, Caesarea. Antoninus Pius Æ22

Obv: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΑИΤΩИΙИΟϹ, laureate head of Antoninus Pius, r.
Rev: Ɛ Ζ (Ζ may be reversed), kalathos on tripod, containing five ears of corn.
RPC IV.3, 8027 (temporary)

[jdmKY]

L Livineius Regulus, 42 BC, denarius 

[Al Kowsky]

P.d Sion, Thanks for an interesting & well composed article 🤩. Your denarius is a handsome coin with a finely executed portrait 😊. The cleaning scratches are light enough not to distract from the beauty of the portrait. The essay from Morris Silver was a long but interesting read too 😉. His conclusion sums up the history of all the world's plagues well, people have always been hoarders, & through centuries of ignorance people didn't hoard their food safely ☹️. People are by nature hoarders when ever there is a shortage of something they need, & the example Morris Silver cited was perfect, the gasoline shortage of the early 70s. I was living in California when the gasoline shortage hit & remember waiting in line for over an hour for a full tank of gas. I watched mindless idiots filling plastic & glass jugs with gasoline to store at home so they wouldn't run-out 🙄...

Edited May 26, 2023 by Al Kowsky
spelling correction

[Prieure de Sion]

1 hour ago, Al Kowsky said:

P.d Sion, Thanks for an interesting & well composed article 🤩. Your denarius is a handsome coin with a finely executed portrait 😊. The cleaning scratches are light enough no to distract from the beauty of the portrait. The essay from Morris Silver was a long but interesting read too 😉. His conclusion sums up the history of all the world's plagues well, people have always been hoarders, & through centuries of ignorance people didn't hoard their food safely ☹️. People are by nature hoarders when ever there is a shortage of something they need, & the example Morris Silver cited was perfect, the gasoline shortage of the early 70s. I was living in California when the gasoline shortage hit & remember waiting in line for over an hour for a full tank of gas. I watched mindless idiots filling plastic & glass jugs with gasoline to store at home so they wouldn't run-out 🙄...

 

Exactly the same with us in Corona time. 

There was no real shortage of certain products - all products were available in the Corona period. Until all of a sudden people started hoarding. This led to the shelves becoming a bit emptier. This led to people sharing pictures on social media with empty shelves of certain products. This led to even more people hoarding things that they actually had enough of at home. This led to even more empty shelves. This led to even more attention and people bought even more things - which they actually had enough of at home and didn't actually need.

This led to - here comes the regulation - some shops regulating the amount of purchases with a maximum amount and a maximum number. This led to - no joke - toilet paper (!) being sold at overpriced prices on Ebay in Germany! People even got into fights in the shops over toilet paper. But everyone wanted to buy more than they needed just to hoard!

It's still "funny" with toilet paper. But it was also partly true for medicines. Because there were rumours that certain medicines were no longer available. Someone who needed 100 pieces therefore preferred to buy 300 pieces - even if he didn't need them. And so the next person no longer received the medicine. That is no longer funny.

[LONGINUS]

Great coin and text, @Prieure de Sion! Tragic period.

Here are my Hadrian Modii. The first is an upgrade of the second.

 

 

[Octavius]

 Great write up , as usual.

here are a couple of sestertii of Nero, and one of Titus with Annona advertising the plentiful grain supply to Rome...

[ambr0zie]

Here is my Pius denarius with a modius reverse, as I see a few examples from different emperors in this thread 

Antoninus Pius ( 138-161) AR denarius Rome, 141-143. 18 mm, 2,56 g.
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TR P COS III - laureate head right Rev: ANNONA AVG, modius with four grain ears and a poppy. RIC 62

[antwerpen2306]

 

Claudius AD 41-54

TIberius CLAUDIUS CAESAR AUG

PONtifex Maximus TRibuniciae Potestate IMPerator COnSul DESignatus ITerim , in the mile : Senatus Consulto

16 x 17 mm, 2.72 gr, 6 h.

RICI 84

AD 25/1/41 - 3/12/41

 

 

 

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

On 5/25/2023 at 3:51 PM, Prieure de Sion said:

 

Exactly the same with us in Corona time. 

There was no real shortage of certain products - all products were available in the Corona period. Until all of a sudden people started hoarding. This led to the shelves becoming a bit emptier. This led to people sharing pictures on social media with empty shelves of certain products. This led to even more people hoarding things that they actually had enough of at home. This led to even more empty shelves. This led to even more attention and people bought even more things - which they actually had enough of at home and didn't actually need.

This led to - here comes the regulation - some shops regulating the amount of purchases with a maximum amount and a maximum number. This led to - no joke - toilet paper (!) being sold at overpriced prices on Ebay in Germany! People even got into fights in the shops over toilet paper. But everyone wanted to buy more than they needed just to hoard!

It's still "funny" with toilet paper. But it was also partly true for medicines. Because there were rumours that certain medicines were no longer available. Someone who needed 100 pieces therefore preferred to buy 300 pieces - even if he didn't need them. And so the next person no longer received the medicine. That is no longer funny.

The run on toilet paper was an interesting feature of the 'Rona Virus. Had to search at multiple stores just to buy a couple of rolls.

[Salomons Cat]

Beautiful coin and great text. In my opinion, the best coins are the ones that tell an interesting story. I would have liked to buy this one as well - we both started bidding on this coin several weeks before the auction. Luckily, we figured this out early enough. It's in the best hands now 🙂

I find the Antonine Plague quite interesting. According to what I have read it was mainly described by Galen, who was probably the most famous ancient physician. Many of his ideas about how the human body works and about diseases were completely different from what we know today. 

In ancient medicine (and this was strongly promoted by Galen), they believed in "humorism", which is the theory of the 4 juices. They believed that the human body contained blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Health was that state in which these substances were in the correct proportion to each other. And bloodletting was the main "cure" for most diseases. 

But Galen also contributed knowledge about anatomy and surgery, so I guess that not everything was bad. Humorism didn't fall out of favor until the 17th century when the germ theory emerged and people got an idea about viruses and bacteria... incredible.

Galen didn't bother to describe the symptoms of the Antonine Plague in his writings. For him, any infectious disease that affected many people at the same time was a plague. I think that it is now assumed that the Antonine Plage were in fact some different contagious diseases that occured at the same time or one after the other: First, it might have been smallpox during the time of Marcus Aurelius and later possibly the bubonic plague during Commodus' time. But today, nobody can know for sure which were the diseases because the descriptions from ancient times were not precise enough. For sure, manipulating the grain market just for the personal benefit of a few people was not a good thing to do. A famine during an epidemic does not help.

Luckily, I also managed to acquire an example of this coin, I assume that there are not so many that are in good condition. Yours is by far the most beautiful that I have seen. Mine is not as perfectly centered but still very attractive, I think:
 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Salomons Cat

[Prieure de Sion]

2 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

I would have liked to buy this one as well - we both started bidding on this coin several weeks before the auction. Luckily, we figured this out early enough. It's in the best hands now 🙂

Ah Hello... and welcome to Numismatik Forums! 👍

 

2 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

Mine is not as perfectly centered but still very attractive, I think:

Yes, it was attractive!

[John Conduitt]

2 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

Luckily, we figured this out early enough.

This was lucky! But you both got great coins.
 

2 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

the theory of the 4 juices

It is still 'the theory of the 4 humors' in English. It's strange how they continued to believe this crazy theory (along with there being 4 elements) for so long. It really doesn't make sense when you had long had Democritus suggesting the existence of atoms and an infinite universe and Epicurus talking of the need for experimental evidence. Maybe medicine would've progressed much faster if we hadn't gone on a 2000 year long tangent.