Handling the grain
To the west of the Baths of Mithras is a temple surrounded by a large hall and some rooms. This complex was used by the guild of the grain measurers (mensores frumentarii). The temple must have been dedicated to the Imperial Ceres, because in an inscription the guild is called "of Ceres Augusta". In the hall is, in my opinion, Ostia's most powerful mosaic, from the second quarter of the third century. It resembles a modern group photo, with people sketched convincingly with only a few lines. It is not difficult to imagine them posing, with the mosaicist making a drawing as the starting point for his future mosaic. It is remarkable how the group opens up to the viewer: we are part of the scene, not casual observers.
The mensores frumentarii. Photo: Bill Storage.The mutilated text top left says: V [milia] sex(tariorum) h(odie) agi(tata) hi[c], "Five thousand sextarii were handled here today" (2730 litres or 314 modii of 8.7 litres). For the measuring a container was used (of which we do not know the name), seen standing on the ground. Next to it are a man holding the rutellum, a stick with which the contents were levelled, as a sign of approval. A boy is using another stick for counting. Nine tickets are attached to it, given to the boy by the porters (we seen one of them with a sack on his shoulder). With his right hand the boy also forms the number 9: the measure was fille with nine sacks. The precise function of the hall with the mosaic is not clear.
Wine, olive oil and fish sauce were transported in amphorae on which often informative texts were scratched or painted, about producers, traders and the content. Such evidence is lacking for grain, which was transported in sacks. The only direct evidence for the procedures used by the mensores comes from archaeology, inscriptions and some legal texts from late antiquity. The procedures were aimed at import taxes and control of the volume and quality. Bills of lading were used and when everything was found to be in order the shipper received a receipt. So, for example, a law of May 19 336 AD says: "Shipmasters of Spain must not be held to extraordinary public services or be detained anywhere or sustain delays, but they must obtain within ten days, from the tax receivers, receipts for the products which they have delivered. When they arrive at any islands, ports, shores, or ship stations and present these receipts, they shall sustain no disquietude at all" (Codex Theodosianus 13.5.8; translation: Clyde Pharr).
The guild of the grain measurers knew three subdivisions: the "receivers" (acceptores), the "helpers" (adiutores), and the "loaders" (nauticarii). The first took care of the unloading, the latter of the loading of the tow boats that took the grain to Rome. The "helpers" presumably supported both groups. Next to the hall with the mosaic is an imposing building that has been called Warehouse of the Mensores. Large halls flank a wide corridor, and the building has convincingly been called a grain measuring centre, rather than a true warehouse. Perhaps machines were used by the mensores, as did their colleagues in Rome, who call themselves mensores machinarii frumenti publici, "machine measurers of the public grain" (CIL VI, 85; 198 AD). One inscription mentioning the mensores machinarii may even come from Ostia, says the corpus of Latin inscriptions (CIL VI, 33883; CIL XI, 156*, 14; found in Rome in 1879, now in the archaeological museum of Parma; thought to be from Ostia in view of the tribe Palatina?).
The "warehouse" of the mensores frumentarii, seen from the House of Serapis.
Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.
Inscription mentioning the mensores machinarii frumenti publici, now in Parma.
Photo: EDR.A bit to the west is a further building that has been called a warehouse, but in this case too that function is questionable. The massive ruins have been excavated only partly, are much overgrown and in danger of collapsing. The building is closed to the public for good reasons.
Part of the "warehouse" on the edge of the excavations.
Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.
