5,000-year-old bread unearthed in Küllüoba goes on display

ESKİŞEHİR

A 5,000-year-old loaf of bread discovered during excavations at the Küllüoba Mound in the Seyitgazi district of the central Anatolian province of Eskişehir has been officially unveiled.

Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce expressed her excitement over the discovery, noting that it is the first example of a fully preserved, processed and baked piece of bread ever found during the Küllüoba excavations, which have been ongoing since 1996.

Ünlüce stated that using ingredients identified through laboratory analyses of the ancient sample, a modern replica of the bread has been produced and will be available starting tomorrow at local producers' markets across the city.

The head of the Küllüoba excavation team, Professor Murat Türkteki from Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University's Archaeology Department, said the loaf was discovered in the back room of a buried house at the site.

“Finding bread in such a state of preservation is extremely rare,” Türkteki said. “This piece was found very close to the threshold of the house, and it appears to have been intentionally placed there after being baked. It measures 2.5 centimeters thick and 12.5 centimeters wide, and is tube-shaped.”

Türkteki explained that the bread had fermented and was baked — making it the earliest known example of such a processed food. “The back of the bread shows white residues known as phytoliths — microscopic plant remains, often from leaves — which were possibly left during the fermentation process. We’re continuing our research on those traces as well.”

Microscopic analysis revealed that the bread contained large particles of a wheat variety called “gernik wheat,” which still exists today but is rarely cultivated. Türkteki said that nearly 90 percent of the bread was made from this type of wheat, ground coarsely using basalt stones typical of the era.

In addition to wheat, lentils were also identified in the loaf. The bread was likely baked at temperatures exceeding 150 degrees Celsius.

“It’s clear from the evidence that the bread was both fermented and baked quickly, and then burned,” Türkteki said. “If it hadn’t been charred, it may not have survived to this day. A piece seems to have been broken off before it was set on fire and buried near the house threshold.”

On the other hand, the “Küllüoba Bread” produced with the same ingredients by the Metropolitan Municipality’s Public Bread Company will be available to citizens at Producer Markets.