Cyrene’s potential for cereal cultivation and wheat supply in the Hellenistic period
Epigraphic evidence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11452525 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Muna H Haroun Abdelhamed (0000-0002-8413-0931, Washington County Schools, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Pages | 26-36 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Libyan Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0263-7189 • E-ISSN: 2052-6148 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/lis.2025.10023 |
| OpenAlex | W4415145030 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
This paper examines Cyrenaica’s capacity for cereal production, focusing on Cyrene’s wheat output supporting the Greek cities. It also explores the region’s favourable agricultural conditions and presents local Hellenistic inscriptions that document cereal cultivation over three centuries. The paper argues that the wheat sent from Cyrene to the Greeks during the Hellenistic period was offered as a donation rather than exported for profit. This argument is supported by three main points: first, the quantities mentioned represent only a quarter, or possibly less, of Cyrene’s annual wheat production; second, a Greek poetic inscription from Cyrene (second or early third century AD) praises the city for donating one hundred ships of grain to aid the Greeks; and, third, literary references describe Cyrenaica and Cyrene as renowned for cereal production, particularly wheat. Literary references, together with epigraphic evidence, also reflect the ongoing demand for wheat among both Greeks and Romans. It concludes that Cyrene was one of the important sources of wheat for these nations, and that it was widely known as a provider of free wheat shipments during times of hardship. It also suggests that Cyrene commemorated the Hellenistic wheat consignment because it was given as a gift
Agriculture · Argument (complex analysis · Greeks · Hellenistic Period · Period (music · Poetry · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies
Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World
The Cambridge Ancient History
An Introduction to Greek Epigraphy of the Hellenistic and Roman Periods from Alexander the Great down to the Reign of Constantine
The Athenian Grain-Tax Law of 374/3 B. C
Horses of Cyrenaica
Legume production at Cyrene in the Hellenistic period
To East and West
| Highly cited | No |
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