Marcus Aurelius and the Grain Crisis of Rome

Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History · Sep 21, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While we have spent many episodes tracing Marcus Aurelius’s campaigns along the Danube and his internal reflections in the Meditations, this episode shifts focus to the logistical lifeline of the Empire: the Annona. We explore how the grain supply from Egypt and North Africa kept Rome stable during the Antonine Plague and the Marcomannic Wars. Lucas details the role of the Curator Annonae and the specific crises that threatened the breadbasket of the Mediterranean, while Luna helps unpack the human cost of keeping the city fed. Together, they examine the political tension between imperial…