The praefectus annonae was a Roman imperial

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

 official charged with the supervision of the grain supply

Grain supply to the city of Rome

In classical antiquity, the grain supply to the city of Rome could not be met entirely from the surrounding countryside, which was taken up by the villas and parks of the aristocracy and which produced mainly fruit, vegetables and other perishable goods...

 to the city of Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. Under the republic

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...

, the job was usually done by an aedile

Aedile

Aedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...

. However, in emergencies, or in times of extraordinary scarcity, an individual would be elected to the office, and would take charge of supplying the entire city with provisions. The first individual was appointed to this office in 439 BC. During the early 60s BC, following the sacking of the port of Ostia

Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...

 by pirates, Pompey

Pompey

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...

 held the powers of the office. Around 7 BC, the first Roman Emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...

, Augustus

Augustus

Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...

, followed this example, and after vesting himself with these powers, specified that two former praetor

Praetor

Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...

s should be appointed every year to carry out the functions of this office. Augustus transferred powers from the aedile to this office, and specified that all holders of this office be members of the Equestrian order. Augustus also specified that these officers were to be aided by an adjutor (from the 2nd century the subpraefectus). Later, Augustus specified that these individuals must be of consular

Roman consul

A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...

 rank. After Augustus' reign, one individual would usually hold this office, and this continued until the fall of the Roman Empire.

During the later Empire, further praefecti annonae were established for the city of Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

 (Egypt) and the province of Africa, the two chief sources of grain for the provisioning of Rome.

List of known praefecti annonae urbis Romae

• Pompeius Paulinus (49)
• Gaius Turranius Gracilius
• Faenius Rufus
  Faenius Rufus
  Faenius Rufus, Roman senator, praefectus annonae, 55-62AD. Tacitus reports that he did not profit from it. With Tigellinus, he succeeded Sextus Afranius Burrus as praetorian prefect in 62. In 65, however, he was executed for his part as a member of the Pisonian conspiracy against the Emperor...
  
   55
  55
  Year 55 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Vetus...
  
  -62
  62
  Year 62 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marius and Asinius...
  
  
• Maximinus
  Maximinus (Praetorian Prefect)
  Maximinus was a Roman barrister and Praetorian Prefect of the later fourth century AD.-Origins:Maximinus was born in Sopianae, Pannonia. His family was of Carpic origin. Maximinus' father was an accountant in the provincial government office of Pannonia Valeria.Maximinus studied law, and practiced...
  
  
• Flavius Domitianus (250/350)
• Manilius Rusticianus (250/350)
• Hostilius Antipater (268/328)
• Flavius Arabianus (270/275)
• Scribonius (286/312)
• Flavius Octavius (300/400)
• Gaius Caelius Saturninus (after 312)
• Aurelius Victorianus (312-313)
• Profuturus (318-319)
• Mastichianus (326)
• Neratius Cerealis
  Neratius Cerealis
  Neratius or Naeratius Cerealis was a Roman senator and politician, Praefectus urbi and Consul.- Biography :He was the brother of Galla, wife of Julius Constantius, and half-brother of Vulcacius Rufinus, and probably had a son named Neratius Scopius...
  
   (328)
• Lucius Crepereius Madalianus (337/341)
• Marcus Maecilius Memmius Furius Baburius Caecilianus Placidus (before 340)
• Lucius Aurelius Avianus Symmachus (340/350)
• Antiochus (350/400)
• Publius Attius Clementinus (350/400)
• Flavius Hesychius (361/363)
• Maximus (365)
• Julianus (366)
• Aurelianus (367)
• Maximinus (368-370)
• Ursicinus (372)
• Sempronius Faustus (375/378)
• Proculus Gregorius (377)
• Herculius (383/388)
• Nicetius (385)
• Ragonius Vincentius Celsus (before 389)
• Numerius Proiectus (393-394)
• Caecilianus (396-397)
• Petronius (400/500)
• Acholius Abydius (400/600)
• Vitalius (403)
• Flavius Alexander Cresconius (425/450)
• Achilles (450/550)
• Sabinus (522)

List of known praefecti annonae urbis Alexandriae

• Claudius (349)
• Flavius Soterichus (350/450)

List of known praefecti annonae Africae

• Amabilianus (315-316)
• Isidorus (368/375)
• Demetrianus (369-372)

Sources

• Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire
  Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire
  Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire is a set of three volumes collectively describing every person attested or claimed to have lived in the Roman world from AD 260, the date of the beginning of Gallienus' sole rule, to 641, the date of the death of Heraclius, which is commonly held to mark the...
  
  Volumes I (AD 260-395) and II (AD 395-527), by A.H.M. Jones, J.R. Martindale, and J. Morris. Cambridge University Press. 1971, 1980.