News
PHOTOS: Scientists discover 1,300-year-old Jesus bread
Archaeologists at Topraktepe, a mound in southern Turkey identified with the early Byzantine city of Irenopolis, unearthed five carbonized bread loaves dating to the seventh or eighth century CE.
One of the unearthed loaves carried an image of Christ portrayed as a sower scattering grain and an ancient Greek inscription reading,”With our gratitude to Blessed Jesus”.
The remaining four loaves show cross-shaped imprints, further suggesting they were used in early Christian rituals as Eucharistic or communion bread.
The Topraktepe loaves, preserved with exceptional clarity, provided tangible evidence of how early Christians enacted their devotion through everyday objects like bread.
Topraktepe, also known as the “City of Peace,” served as an important bishopric center during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
Researchers said the objects likely served as communion loaves for a rural Anatolian congregation that depended on its crops.
“These 1,300-year-old breads shed new light on a fascinating chapter of early Byzantine life. They prove that piety extended beyond prayers and ceremonies, materializing in objects that carried spiritual significance to the most basic human need: bread,” a member of the excavation team said.
The loaves survived because an abrupt fire carbonized them, locking in their form and decoration.
Provincial authorities called them “among the best-preserved examples identified in Anatolia to date,” according to a communiqué relayed by Posta.
Material culture at Topraktepe already included necropolises, rock-cut chambers, and fortifications, but few artifacts spoke so directly to everyday devotion.
“This is evaluated as indicating the symbolic importance of abundance and labor in the religious understanding of the period,” the statement added.
Officials also noted that such provincial evidence differed from urban practice in Constantinople, emphasizing how rural worship remained intertwined with agriculture.
Archaeologists plan chemical and botanical analyses to learn which grains and leavening agents the bakers employed and to determine whether the loaves were leavened prosphora or served another liturgical purpose such as antidoron. They also hope to locate a nearby chapel that might have stored the bread.
“The survival of Eucharistic bread from the seventh and eighth centuries is extremely rare, making the loaves from Topraktepe a unique window into primitive Christian worship,” the research team concluded.
FOLLOW US ON:
2027: Wike To Lead Campaign Team For Tinubu’s Re-election
Tinubu Makes Demands From Nigerians Over 2027 Election
PHOTOS: Full List Of Children Of Ex-Presidents, Govs, Lawmaker Seeking NASS Seat
‘Sleeping Prince’ of Saudi Arabia dies after 20 years in coma
2027: Atiku delays ADC membership card collection amid rumoured Jonathan comeback
How A Class Of 24 Students Produced 2 Presidents, 4 Governors, 2 Ministers, 4 Emirs, 3 Justices, 4 Ambassadors and Other Influential Leaders
-
Politics4 hours agoI’ll never abuse Tinubu, he has my respect – Peter Obi
-
News3 hours ago
Court rejects suit seeking fresh police investigation into late singer Mohbad’s death
-
Crime3 hours ago
PHOTOS: Police arrest suspect over de@th of Delta Education Director; launch manhunt for fleeing suspects
-
Politics2 hours ago
PHOTOS: Full List Of Children Of Ex-Presidents, Govs, Lawmaker Seeking NASS Seat
-
News3 hours ago
VIDEO: Police identify officer in viral video saying Obi can never be President
-
Crime3 hours ago
PHOTOS: Police arrest suspected child trafficker, rescue two-month-old baby in Niger State
-
Politics1 hour ago
Tinubu Makes Demands From Nigerians Over 2027 Election
-
Lifestyle15 hours ago
Many Parents Nowadays Are Failing to Give Their Children Proper Home Training — Why?
