Their agricultural production systems were ideally suited to the sloping land and erodible soils of the Mediterranean region with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. It was hypothesized that the simple diet of the Romans, principally based on bread from leavened flour of wheat was a key to their success. It sustained all social classes during the eventful years of cultural transition from the Late Roman Republic to the beginning of the Empire. Wheat can be stored and transported without spoilage, and these qualities were essential for their trade and consumption in ancient Rome.
Huge amounts of wheat were needed to feed the Empire. Italy could not begin to grow enough to provide for Rome, a vast city with a population of perhaps a million. Feeding the city also had an important political dimension: since the Republic, a dole of wheat was given to each adult man who claimed it. When it was not forthcoming, there were serious riots and unrest.
Following the Third Punic War, a razed Carthage ultimately was rebuilt by the Romans as a key source of grain for Rome and its military juggernaut. The lands of the growing list of colonies became essential for wheat production, the main food source for Roman citizens and military forces.
Wheat in
ancient Roman
