Was Egypt really the "breadbasket" of Rome?

As any reader of history knows, the Roman Empire for centuries, it seems, depended upon Egypt for its supply of "corn", but which we today might more correctly call "wheat!" IE, the only bread you can make from corn, is "cornbread!" Laugh But corn / maize, it seems, did not make it into Europe until the discovery of it in America!

Please pick the America of your choice!

But, there appears to be a couple of types of grain that can be used to make Bread! They are "wheat", as in "whole wheat" or "light brown wheat", and "Rye Wheat!" / "Barley!", and maybe a few more grain varieties that have mostly disappeared today?

So, just which variety was grown in Egypt?

If you would like to read the "story of wheat!", then read this;

http://nue.okstate.edu/crop_information/The_Story_of_Wheat.htm

At the above site you will also read this, which it seems also applies to another topic available on our current site, which concerns the so called "Indo-European" language!

"People in what is now Syria had been subsisting happily on a diet of acorns, gazelles and grass seeds. The centuries of drought drove them to depend increasingly on wild grass seeds. Abruptly, soon after 11,000 years ago, they began to cultivate rye and chickpeas, then einkorn and emmer, two ancestors of wheat, and later barley. Soon cultivated grain was their staple food. It happened first in the Karacadag Mountains in south-eastern Turkey—it is only here that wild einkorn grass contains the identical genetic fingerprint of modern domesticated wheat."

So, it seems that "wheat" is also an indicator of language! That is, according to "wheat" the "Indo-European origination" was possibly in South Eastern Turkey! How strange since our linguists consider its origin just a few thousand miles further East! You might well have noticed that the inter-net site listed above does not even mention Egypt!

Say! How about the "History of Oats?" See;
http://www.agron.iastate.edu/courses/agron212/Readings/Oat_wheat_history.htm

Where you will read, interestingly, this; "Little history of oat is known prior to the time of Christ. Oats did not become important to man as early as wheat or barley. Oats probably per­sisted as a weed‑like plant in other cereals for centuries prior to being cultivated by itself. Some authorities believe that our present cultivated oats developed as a mutation from wild oats. They think this may have taken place in Asia Minor or south­eastern Europe not long before the birth of Christ."

So, South East Asia Minor (Turkey?) is indicated as a potential candidate again!

Again, just what made Egypt the grainary of Rome? Wheat, or Oats, were not indigeneous to Egypt it seems, and today wheat seems to be grown in areas with a more "temporate climate!" Like the mid-western USA and the Southern states of Russia or its later day independant states!

Oats, for example; "Oats are chiefly a European and North American crop. These areas have the cool, moist climate to which oats are best adapted. Russia, Canada, the United States, Finland, and Poland are the leading oat producing countries. Oats are adapted to a wide range of soil types, thus temperature and moisture conditions are the usual limiting factors as to where oats are grown. Perhaps no other country uses oats as much in their cropping system as does Scotland. Some winter oats are produced in the United States, but most are spring oats produced mainly in the north central states."

Are Oats a grain?

For more about "Rye" read;

http://books.google.com/books?id=BqNOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=origin+of+rye+wheat&source=bl&ots=xnK6MPuJgp&sig=_1Ax01Q6VqEBToHSOev6p0Atcro&hl=en&ei=LtrTSoP9GYTU8QaE0P32DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=origin%20of%20rye%20wheat&f=false

"Cultivation of rye was the result of the cultivation of wheat, and in part of barley." Rye grows best in colder climates!

You might well even consider to read the following;

http://www.blogcatalog.com/search.frame.php?term=egyptian+wheat&id=16460591566e200569a28ed708788f9f

So, it seems Egypt reportedly invented "sponge bread!" Was this the bread so desired in Rome?

Here is an article about "Ancient Egyptian Wheat";

http://prairiemary.blogspot.com/2007/05/kamut-ancient-egyptian-wheat.html

Perhaps we shoud read this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_agriculture

"Pliny the Younger painted a picture that Rome was able to survive without Egyptian wheat in his speech the Panegyricus in 100 AD. In 99 there was an Egyptian crisis due to inadequate flooding.[6]

Pliny the Younger stated that for "long it was generally believed that Rome could only be fed and maintained with Egyptian aid". However, he argued that "Now [that] we have returned the Nile its riches,... her business is not to allow us food but to pay a proper tribute.[6]"

Maybe a better explanation of Egyptian / African wheat can be read on pages 12 and 13 etc. below?

http://books.google.com/books?id=HEQ9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=egyptian+wheat+for+Rome&source=bl&ots=2Mzb_6qlt_&sig=lQgcgxMmQ-a0Ngqy9pOBmkqsSi0&hl=en&ei=Nt3TSvHsFsrL8Qajmu2FDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=egyptian%20wheat%20for%20Rome&f=false

You might well notice that a large amount of Egyptia wheat was also reportedly sent to Constantinople! With all of the natural wheat producing lands available around the Black Sea, just why would Constantinople ever need to get its wheat from Egypt or any where in Africa?

Just what caused the demand for bread in Rome, could it be this?

http://www.ancientcoins.biz/pages/economy/

That they ate two pounds of bread per day? Amazing! Did they eat anything else?

Rome it seems existed on a bread and water diet! The two things that reportedly (at one time at least) were free!

Perhaps this site can explain some thigs?

http://books.google.com/books?id=MNSyT_PuYVMC&pg=PA402&lpg=PA402&dq=egyptian+wheat+for+Rome&source=bl&ots=uJyadUIi6Y&sig=P1KKHHVWIhrYPQoUabkTTMyepgM&hl=en&ei=TeTTSoPRJ4qCNsGCqZQD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=egyptian%20wheat%20for%20Rome&f=false

Could it be that "barley" was really the "wheat" Rome needed? Roasting ovens seem to have been found at the ancient port of Ostia! Were they for the roasting of barley or hops?