From ancient times through the Roman era, Egypt stood as the Mediterranean world's primary grain producer, supplying vast quantities of wheat that sustained empires and city-states across the region. The Nile's annual floods deposited nutrient-rich silt across the valley, creating extraordinarily fertile farmland that yielded dependable surplus harvests year after year. Under Ptolemaic rule and later as a Roman province, Egypt became Rome's essential grain source, with Alexandria shipping approx