1,200-year-old bread with an image of Christ was found in Turkey (6 photos)

Archaeologists have made a discovery: they have found a 1,200-year-old loaf of bread bearing an image of Jesus Christ. The discovery was reported by authorities in Karaman Province, located in south-central Turkey.





The loaf dates back to the 7th-8th centuries AD. It is one of five charred loaves discovered at the excavation site of Topraktepe, once the ancient city of Erenopolis.

Photographs show the blackened loaf with a barely visible image of Christ. The loaf bears the inscription, "With gratitude to the Blessed Jesus."



Christ is depicted as a sower or farmer, which experts believe symbolizes fertility and labor, important to the religious thought of the time.

Archaeologists also found other symbols on the baked goods, including the Maltese cross.





"Experts believe these finds may be examples of Eucharistic bread used in early Christian communion rites," the Karaman provincial administration reported. "The bread was preserved by charring, indicating special storage conditions."

These loaves are just a small part of the amazing early Christian finds.



In 2024, Armenian authorities announced the discovery of one of the oldest Christian churches. The Temple of Artaxata dates back to the 4th century, the same period Armenia adopted Christianity.

In Olympus, an ancient Lycian port city in Turkey's Antalya province, archaeologists recently discovered a 5th-century Christian church. An inscription at the entrance reads, "Only those on the righteous path may enter here."