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30 BCEReputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

Rome Annexes Egypt as Its Private Breadbasket

Augustus takes Cleopatra's kingdom as his own personal province and bars senators from even visiting

On the timeline · around 30 BCE · Ptolemaic, Roman, and Byzantine EgyptPtolemaic, Roman, and Byzantine EgyptRome Annexes Egypt as Its Private Breadbasket200 BCE100 BCE1 CE100 CE200 CE

Quick facts

Annexed
30 BCE, after Cleopatra's death
First prefect
Gaius Cornelius Gallus
Governance
Personal possession of the emperor, ruled by an equestrian prefect
Restriction
Roman senators barred from entering without imperial permission

What happened

After Cleopatra VII's death in 30 BCE ended the Ptolemaic dynasty, the rich lands of Egypt became the property of Rome, and the country's overflowing granaries made it the breadbasket of the empire. Octavian, soon to take the title Augustus, treated Egypt as his own private kingdom rather than an ordinary Roman province: he governed it through a prefect he appointed directly, an equestrian rather than a senator, and barred senators from even entering Egypt without his personal permission. Egypt was the only province of the early empire with legions stationed in it that was run by a governor outside the senatorial order, and its grain, along with papyrus, textiles, and gold, was funneled to feed Rome and its armies.

Why it matters

Egypt's grain fed the city of Rome itself, and the wealthiest province in the empire could be held militarily with a very small force, which made the mere threat of cutting off its grain exports politically explosive. By keeping Egypt as a personal possession outside the normal senatorial governorship system, Augustus removed the empire's richest territory from the political rivalries that could otherwise have threatened his new imperial position.

How we know

Egypt's annexation and Augustus's unusual administrative arrangement for it, including the ban on senators and the equestrian prefect system, are documented in Roman historical sources of the period and confirmed by the administrative papyri that survive in unusual quantity from Roman Egypt because of its dry climate.

Sources

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Part of a timelineHistory of Egypt24 events · A country ruled from Rome, Damascus, Baghdad, Istanbul, London, and finally itself again, and a river that outlasted every one of themView all →
Rome Annexes Egypt as Its Private Breadbasket · History of Egypt · SourcedStory