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Archaeologists recently found an extraordinary relic of early Christianity: a 1,200-year-old loaf of burned bread bearing the image of Jesus Christ.
The discovery was announced by the Karaman Governorship, located in south-central Turkey, in a Facebook post on Oct. 8.
The bread dates back to the 7th or 8th centuries A.D. It’s one of five carbonized loaves recently found at the Topraktepe archaeological site, once the ancient city of Eirenopolis.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER RARE CHRISTIAN ARTIFACT ON REMOTE ISLAND AMID LUXURY RESORTS
Pictures from the excavation show the blackened loaf bearing a faint image of Christ.
The inscription on the loaf reads, “With gratitude to the Blessed Jesus.”
Archaeologists in Turkey uncovered a carbonized loaf of bread bearing what appears to be an image of Jesus Christ. At left, an image of Christ Pantocrator from the Hagia Sophia; the image on the loaf, at right, was made in a different style. (DeAgostini/Getty Images; Karaman Valiliği via Facebook)
The image did not incorporate the popular Christ Pantocrator iconography, which typically shows Christ raising his right hand and serves as the standard of Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox art, according to officials.
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Rather, Christ was depicted as a sower or farmer, which officials said reflects “the symbolic importance of fertility and labor in the religious thought of the period.”
Archaeologists say the faint image on the bread represents Christ as a sower, symbolizing faith and labor. (Karaman Valiliği via Facebook)
Archaeologists also found other symbols on the loaves, including one that appears to bear the Maltese Cross.
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“Specialists suggest that these finds may be examples of ‘communion bread,’ or Eucharist bread, used in early Christian rituals,” the Karaman Governorship’s Facebook post read.
Excavations at the Topraktepe site, once the ancient city of Eirenopolis, revealed five charred loaves of bread. (Karaman Valiliği via Facebook)
“The fact that the breads survived through carbonization demonstrates exceptional preservation conditions,” officials added.
“The finds are among the best-preserved examples ever identified in Anatolia.”
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The loaves are just a few of many fascinating early Christian finds in the Anatolia-Caucasus region over the past year.
The Topraktepe find adds to a growing list of early Christian discoveries across Anatolia and the Caucasus. (Karaman Valiliği via Facebook)
In 2024, officials announced that they had uncovered one of the world’s oldest Christian churches in Armenia.
The Artaxata church dates to the 4th century, the same period Armenia officially adopted Christianity.
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In Olympus, an ancient Lycian port city in Turkey’s Antalya province, archaeologists recently uncovered a 5th-century Christian church with an inscription reading, “Only those on the righteous path may enter here.”