The Ration, The Dole from Roman Times. North America is already conquered. But maybe they do not understand yet the administrative importance of the dole as more aboriginal people. Click here for more.

  You are thinking of a concept from Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, though the specific word "ration" might be a slight misremembering of the translation or the context.

​Marcus Aurelius often spoke about the "rational" nature of humans and how we owe a specific duty to others because we are part of the same "social organism."

​The Core Philosophy

​Marcus didn’t necessarily view conquered people as enemies to be starved or merely fed, but as fellow members of the Cosmopolis (the world-city). His perspective was rooted in Stoicism:

• ​Common Reason: He believed all humans share a spark of the divine "Logos" (Reason). Because of this, even those who oppose us are our kin.
• ​The Debt of Justice: He famously wrote that "to do an injustice is to do an impiety." This applied to how Rome treated its subjects. He believed that since we are all "rational animals," our primary duty is to act for the common good.
• ​Correction over Punishment: He often noted that if people act wrongly (or resist), it is because they are "ignorant of good and evil." Therefore, the "ration" or "due" we owe them is patience, instruction, and justice, rather than mere subjugation.

​A Likely Quote

​You might be recalling a passage similar to this one from Meditations (Book 9):

​"Enter into their minds, and you will find the judges you are so afraid of—and how judiciously they judge themselves."

​Or perhaps his reflection on the "Social Acts":

​"My nature is rational and social; my city and country, so far as I am Antoninus, is Rome; but so far as I am a man, it is the world."

​The "Ration" of Kindness

​If you meant "ration" in the sense of what we "apportion" or "give" to them, Marcus taught that we owe even our enemies:

1. ​Truth: Speaking honestly.
2. ​Justice: Treating them according to law and fairness.
3. ​Benevolence: Recognizing their humanity despite the conflict.

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Marcus Aurelius and the Roman administration did indeed oversee a complex system of food distribution. While the term "ration" is often used in a military context, you are likely referring to the Cura Annonae (the "Care of Annona"), which was the massive state operation responsible for importing and distributing grain.

Under Marcus Aurelius, this system took on a specific moral and logistical character, especially concerning the "newly conquered" or provincial peoples.

1. The Grain Dole (Annona)

Historically, the Annona was a right of Roman citizens living in the city of Rome. Every eligible male citizen received a monthly allotment of grain (about 5 modii, or roughly 33kg).

 * Famine Relief: In 162 CE, early in Marcus’s reign, the Tiber River flooded, destroying grain stores and causing a massive famine. Marcus and his co-emperor Lucius Verus famously used their personal funds and state reserves to provide relief, ensuring the "ration" reached the starving population.

2. Extending Help to Conquered Peoples

The expansion of these "rations" to newly conquered or provincial people was a hallmark of the Antonine era's "globalist" approach.

 * The Marcomannic Wars: During Marcus’s long campaigns against Germanic tribes (the Marcomanni and Quadi), he didn't just conquer them; he often settled them within the Empire's borders.

 * Integration through Food: When these tribes were "conquered" and relocated to depopulated lands in Italy and the provinces, they were often integrated into the Roman food supply system. Marcus viewed this as a way to turn former enemies into productive, "rational" farmers who would bolster the Empire's strength rather than drain it.

 * The Moral "Ration": Marcus wrote in his Meditations that our duty is to "treat them as befits the law of the social community." This meant that once they were under Roman rule, they were no longer "enemies" but "fellow citizens" (or at least subjects) who deserved the protection of the state, including food security.

3. The "Sacrifice" for the People

Marcus Aurelius is famous for an act of extreme financial sacrifice during a period of plague and famine. To avoid over-taxing the provinces (the "conquered peoples") to pay for his wars and food relief, he held a massive public auction of his own imperial treasures—gold, jewels, silk robes, and even his wife’s dresses—to fund the state’s needs.

| System Element | Description |

|---|---|

| Recipient | Initially only Roman citizens; expanded to provincial settlers under Marcus. |

| The "Ration" | Typically 5 modii of wheat per month (enough for one adult male). |

| Philosophy | Cosmopolis: The idea that all humans are part of one "city" and deserve care. |

| Emergency Action | Selling palace furniture to fund food and military costs without raising taxes. |

Why this mattered

By providing food and land to the newly conquered, Marcus was applying the Stoic principle of Justice and also integration for the expansion of Roman power.  He believed that if you conquer a people, you become responsible for their well-being. Failing to feed them would be "irrational" and "un-social," leading to further rebellion.

Would you like me to find the specific passage in Meditations where he discusses our duty to those who oppose us, or perhaps more detail on the auction of the imperial treasures?

In the 1600s, the Puritan settlers in New England imported a system of social welfare from England known as the Elizabethan Poor Laws (codified in 1601). While it wasn't a universal "grain dole" like the Roman Annona, it was a highly organized system of "rations" or "relief" for those in need.

The Puritans viewed poverty not just as a physical crisis but as a moral and communal one. Here is how their "dole" system worked:

1. The "Parish Loaf" and Outdoor Relief

In early Massachusetts and Plymouth, the primary form of aid was "Outdoor Relief." This meant that the poor were given assistance while continuing to live in their own homes, rather than being sent to an institution.

 * The Ration: Relief often took the form of the "parish loaf" (regular distributions of bread or grain), firewood, and clothing.

 * Funding: This was funded by a "Poor Tax" levied on all property-owning households in the town.

2. The Poor

The Puritans were famous for their "Work Ethic," and their ration system reflected this. They strictly divided the poor into two categories:

 * The Poor: Widows, orphans, the elderly, and the "impotent" (disabled). These individuals were entitled to the community’s "dole" and were treated with Christian "charity."

3. "Warning Out" and Newly Conquered/Arrived People

Similar to your mention of Marcus Aurelius and "newly conquered" people, the Puritans had a complex relationship with "outsiders":

 * Settlement Laws: To receive the dole, you had to prove you were a legal resident of the town. If a stranger arrived who looked like they might become poor, the town would "Warn them out." This was a legal move to ensure the town wouldn't be financially responsible for feeding them if a famine occurred.

 * Native American Populations: Unlike Marcus Aurelius, who tried to integrate conquered tribes into the Roman grain system, Puritans generally viewed Native Americans as outside their "Covenant." During famines or conflicts (like King Philip's War), rations were almost exclusively reserved for the English "Saints" (church members), though there were rare instances of "Praying Indians" (converts) receiving communal aid.

4. Comparison to Marcus Aurelius

While Marcus Aurelius sold his own jewelry to feed the "conquered" out of a sense of global justice (Cosmopolis), the Puritans acted out of a "Covenanted Community" mindset.

 * Aurelius: "I am a citizen of the world; I owe the rational human a ration of justice."

 * Puritans: "We are a City on a Hill; we owe our brothers a ration of bread, but we must protect our resources from the 'un-godly' or 'idle' outsider."

Key Summary Table

| Feature | Roman "Annona" (Aurelius) | Puritan "Relief" (1600s) |

|---|---|---|

| Eligibility | Citizens (and later provincial settlers) | "Deserving" residents of the town |

| Primary Item | Grain (Wheat/Corn) | Bread ("Parish Loaf"), wood, and cash |

| Motivation | Stoic Justice / State Stability | Christian Charity / Social Order |

| New People | Integrated to prevent rebellion | "Warned out" to protect town funds |

Would you like to explore a specific instance of a New England famine (like the "Starving Time" or the 1630s shortages) and how they shared their limited rations then?