Imperial Responses to the Food Crisis that Began under Claudius

Abstract

The main focus of this article is the nature of imperial responses—symbolic and practical—to the major food crisis in Rome throughout the principates of Claudius and Nero. By examining the evidence through a historical lens, it will be demonstrated that when real food crises became serious, concerted attempts were made by Claudius and Nero to address starvation concerns and feed the city of Rome, and in some ways elsewhere. The result was a range of special building projects whose nature was to provide employment, as well as promote trade, and individual identity. The first and foremost of these projects was Portus harbour.