A team of archaeologists in southern Turkey has unearthed five remarkably preserved round loaves of bread — believed to be more than 1,300 years old and possibly used for the Eucharist — one of which bears an image of Jesus Christ.
The discovery was made in Topraktepe, ancient Irenopolis (“City of Peace”), a former Roman and Byzantine settlement in modern-day Karaman province, Anatolia. Made from barley and dating to between the sixth and eighth centuries, the loaves survived thanks to carbonization and the oxygen-free environment of their burial site. Researchers say they are the best-preserved examples of their kind ever found in Anatolia.
One loaf depicts Christ alongside a Greek inscription reading, “With our gratitude to the Blessed Jesus,” while others display cross-shaped reliefs. Authorities described the image as portraying “Jesus the Sower” or “Jesus the Farmer” — a departure from the traditional Christ Pantocrator representation.
Giovanni Collamati, a medieval history professor at CEU San Pablo University in Madrid, noted that the find’s location — far from major imperial centers like Constantinople — suggests it may reflect a more localized form of Christian devotion rooted in ordinary believers rather than elites.
The excavation, led by the Karaman Museum and Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, will continue as experts analyze the loaves to better understand their liturgical and historical significance.
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