In the propaganda of
Claudius, the cult of
Ceres Augusta made explicit the divine power that lay in the Imperial provision of the
annona, the grain supply to the city. Annona Augusti appears on
coins late in the reign of
Nero, when the Cult of Virtues came into prominence in the wake of the
Pisonian conspiracy. She embodied two of the material benefits of
Imperial rule, along with Securitas Augusti, "Augustan Security," and often appeared as part of a pair with Ceres. On Neronian coinage, Ceres, Annona, and
Abundantia ("Abundance") were closely associated. Annona also appears on coins issued under
Vespasian, where along with other Virtues she represents the restoration of confidence in the
principate, and on the coinage of
Titus,
Domitian,
Trajan,
Hadrian,
Antoninus Pius, and
Septimius Severus. She was a particular favorite in Trajan's propaganda, which sought to portray his reign as a renewal and a prosperous new era for humanity; hence Annona often appears with a symbolic child. In the context of Trajanic politics, Annona represented Rome's grain independence from its traditional supplier
Egypt. ==Iconography==