Annona (mythology)

For other uses, see Annona (disambiguation).
On the reverse of this sestertius of Nero, Annona (standing right) holds a cornucopia, facing Ceres (seated left) holding grain-ears and torch, with a modius on the garlanded altar between them and a ship's stern behind

In ancient Roman religion, Annona (Latin annōna “corn, grain; means of subsistence”, from annus "year") is the divine personification of the grain supply to the city of Rome. She is closely connected to the goddess Ceres, with whom she is often depicted in art.

Annona, often as Annona Augusti, was a creation of Imperial religious propaganda, manifested in iconography and cult practice. She is presented as a theophany of the emperor's power to care for his people through the provision of grain.[1] Annona thus lacked narrative mythology or a tradition of devotion in the Roman Republic, but once established as part of Imperial cult, she was the recipient of dedications and votive offerings from private individuals motivated by gratitude or the seeking of favor.[2]

  1. ^ J. Rufus Fears, "The Cult of Virtues and Roman Imperial Ideology," Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt II.17.2 (1981), pp. 895, 915.
  2. ^ Fears, The Cult of Virtues, p. 936.