Archaeologists have uncovered eight loaves of bread dating back about 5,000 years at an ancient settlement in present-day western Turkey. The bread survived after a fire charred it during the Early Bronze Age.
The discovery was made in 2025 at Seyitomer Mound in Kutahya. Researchers found the blackened loaves inside a room near an oven, alongside remains of wheat and lentils. The findings add to earlier discoveries of ancient bread in Turkey, including an 8,600-year-old specimen uncovered at Catalhoyuk.
Ancient fire preserved bread for 5,000 years
Sevgi Gurdal, director of the Kutahya Museum and head of the excavation, said the bread and agricultural products were likely stored in sacks or bags on a shelf. When a fire broke out, the shelf collapsed, scattering the stored food across the floor. Archaeologists discovered the eight loaves among the remains of the shelf’s supporting legs. The heat charred the bread, helping preserve it for thousands of years.
Gurdal said the findings date to the early part of the Early Bronze Age, which began around 3000 B.C. in the region. Another 5,000-year-old loaf discovered at Kulluoba in Turkey has provided evidence that bread may also have played a role in ancient rituals. Unlike that discovery, the loaves at Seyitomer Mound were found in what appears to have been a food storage area.
Ancient bread attracts museum visitors
The eight loaves, along with the wheat and lentil remains, are now on display at the Kutahya Archaeology and Mining Museum. Gurdal said visitors have shown considerable interest in the bread, particularly how it survived for so long. She added that objects recovered from Seyitomer Mound make up a significant part of the museum’s collection. These discoveries offer insights into the daily activities, social traditions and diets of ancient communities.
Eight loaves of bread have survived for 5,000 years!
Archaeologists in Turkey uncovered the ancient loaves alongside wheat and lentils at a Bronze Age settlement. A fire that destroyed the storage area also helped preserve the bread for millennia. pic.twitter.com/iXbiPocqux
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) November 5, 2026
Similar research into ancient food remains discovered at a harbor in Ionia has also helped researchers understand what people ate in western Anatolia thousands of years ago.
Excavations at Seyitomer Mound began in 1989
Seyitomer Mound lies about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from central Kutahya. The archaeological site stands 26 meters (85 feet) high. Rescue excavations began in 1989 to recover archaeological remains before lignite coal mining operations affected the area. Researchers have recovered more than 17,000 artifacts from the settlement over several decades.
The Kutahya Museum Directorate has overseen excavations since 2019, continuing investigations into the mound’s Early and Middle Bronze Age remains. The discovery adds to growing archaeological evidence about bread-making traditions in Bronze Age Anatolia.
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