‘Communion bread’ more than 1300 years old discovered through excavations in Turkey
Archaeologists have unearthed five carbonized loaves of barley bread, engraved with the image of Christ and a Maltese Cross, that were likely “communion bread” for churches in Asia Minor from the…
Archaeologists have unearthed five carbonized loaves of barley bread, engraved with the image of Christ and a Maltese Cross, that were likely “communion bread” for churches in Asia Minor from the 7th-8th century, experts say.
The Karaman Governorship, located in south-central Turkey, announced the discovery in an Oct. 8 post on Facebook, saying the loaves were found in Topraktepe in the district of Ermenek.
The ancient name of the city, Eirenepolis, means “City of Peace,” according to Anatolian Archaeology. The city was a “bishopric center” and was located on the “Anemurium-Isaura trade route” during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
Because the city was not prevalent during this period, “the communion bread” could represent “much more local liturgical worship that originates from people who do not belong to the elite but is a devotion much more of the common people,” professor Giovanni Collamati told Catholic News Agency.
One of the loaves depicts Christ with a Greek inscription that reads: “With Thanksgiving to Blessed Jesus,” according to the post. In departure from the traditional portrayal of Christ as Pantocrator (“Ruler of All”), this depiction displays Christ as “Planter” or “Farmer Jesus.”
“This iconography is believed to reflect the symbolic importance of fertility and labor in the religious understanding of the period,” the post explains.
In addition to an allusion to the Parable of the Sower found in the Gospels, experts told Anatolian Archaeology the agricultural imagery portrays the “symbolic blend of faith, labor and sustenance.”
“This is not merely a religious image – it’s a visual theology of work,” a researcher told Anatolian Archaeology.
The more than 1300-year-old loaves demonstrate “extraordinary conditions of preservation” through carbonization, according to the Karaman post.
“These findings are among the best-preserved examples identified in Anatolia to date,” the post states.
Experts will further analyze the loaves to understand their historical importance, Catholic News Agency reports.
Within the past year, archaeologists also discovered one of the “world’s oldest Christian churches” in Armenia. Archaeologists date this church to roughly the fourth century – the same century Armenia officially adopted Christianity, Fox News reports.
Photo: Karaman Governor’s Office
