QUANTIFYING WHEAT PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION AND EXPORT IN ROMAN ADRIATIC ITALY (150 BC - AD 250)

Roman Adriatic Italy held a high number of arable lands, and cereals were probably the most produced and demanded agricultural commodities. Here wheat was produced, consumed and likely exported, and North and Central Adriatic ports played a key role as distributor of these key rural commodities within this trans-regional market. Using archival, archaeological and pre-industrial statistical data on agricultural production, this paper quantifies wheat production, consumption and export in the Roman Adriatic, from 150 BC to AD 250. The first section introduces the Adriatic cities, hinterland, countryside and population; the second section explores the amount of wheat produced in the North and Central Adriatic; the third section examines the wheat consumed and exported; the fourth section assesses the shipping of Adriatic wheat, by examining aspects of capacity, cargoes and harbours.