Question

Augustus appointed a permanent official to oversee the purchase of grains for Rome. Based on this fact, what can you conclude about Roman trade during Augustus’s reign? A. Traders were hesitant to buy and sell grains because of war. B. Grains were among the most important traded goods in the empire. C. Pirates had made the sea routes to grain-producing regions of the empire unsafe. D. The demand for luxury goods among the wealthy decreased after Rome became an empire. E. The Roman Empire lacked a good road network, making it hard to distribute grains.

Answer 1

The correct answer is "B. Grains were among the most important traded goods in the empire."

Grain was an essential food source for all of the citizens of the Roman Empire.  In the year 22 BC, the empire experienced a shortage of food supplies which alarmed the population. In order to rapidly end the crisis, the Senate proposed Augustus to oversee the purchase of grains. After initially being reluctant to do so, he finally accepted the role and had success ending with the crisis rapidly. It was not until 8 AD, that he decided to appoint a "praefactus annonae". A government official who would be in charge of overseeing the procurement of food supplies to Rome.

Answer 2

A. traders were hesitant to buy and sell grains because of war

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