PRAEFECTUS ANNO´NAE
PRAEFECTUS ANNO´NAE Livy (
4.12,
13) relates that in B.C. 440 L.
Minucius was appointed praefectus annonae to deal with the difficulties
arising in a time of scarcity, either for a year, being re-elected the next,
or for an indefinite period: “Nihil enim constat, nisi in libros
linteos utroque anno relatum inter magistratus praefecti nomen.”
Nothing more is heard of such an appointment under the Republic, and hence
it has been not unreasonably argued that Licinius, from whom Livy is here
drawing (
Hermes, 5.266), introduced the title
by mistake.
The superintendence of the corn-market throughout the whole Republic was at a
later period entrusted to Pompey for a period of five years (
D. C. 39.9;
Cic. Att.
4.1;
Liv. Epit. 104); and in
accordance with this example Augustus took the same superintendence upon
himself, and commanded that two persons who had been praetors five years
before should be appointed every year for the distribution of the corn.
(
D. C. 54.1;
curam
frumenti populo dividundi,
Suet. Aug. 37.) Subsequently Augustus
assigned this duty to two persons of consular rank (
D.
C. 55.26,
31). But he also created
an officer under the title of
praefectus
annonae to take charge of the more important duty of seeing to the
due supply of the corn-market. Under him worked
procuratores in the provinces and at Ostia, and a large staff
of clerks (
tabularii) and superintendents of
granaries (
horrearii). This office was a
permanent one, and only held by one person at a time: he had jurisdiction
over all matters appertaining to the cornmarket, and, like the praefectus
vigilum, was chosen from the Equites, and was not reckoned among the
ordinary magistrates. (
Tac. Ann. 1.7;
D. C. 52.24;
Dig. 1,
2,
2,
33;
14,
1,
1,
18;
14,
5,
8;
48,
2,
13.) The praefectus annonae continued to exist till
the latest times of the Empire: respecting his duties in later times, see
Walter,
Gesch. des röm. Rechts, § 360, 2nd
ed. Cf.
FRUMENTARIAE
LEGES and Hirschfeld in
Philologus,
29.1-96.
[
W.S] [
A.S.W]
