Granary C123
About
Granary C123 was built in the first century CE to hold Karanis's wheat surplus before shipment down the Nile. University of Michigan excavators recovered 37 papyrus documents from inside it between 1928 and 1931, records tracking who deposited grain and when. Fayum villages like Karanis fed the Roman grain dole, and buildings like this one formed the first link in that supply chain. The granary was still receiving harvests when Trajan died in August 117 CE.
What happened here
Rows of identical rooms off a central courtyard, with a wide gate, a weighing station and a guard. Floors are raised on low walls so air passes underneath and grain does not sweat. Space is rented by the room or the amphora, and the operator takes a fee for storage and another for security; valuables go into strongrooms with iron doors. Everything is inventoried by clerks who are usually slaves and who are very good at it. Grain, oil, wine, marble, salt fish, timber — most of it in transit rather than stored long. Rats, damp and fire are the constant enemies and there are contracts covering all three. Around the entrance, porters wait for work by the day.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →