5000-year-old bread from Anatolia: coarse emmer flour, lentils, and ritual burial

In March 2026, Turkish archaeologists studied a find from Küllüoba (3200–3000 BCE). The bread was found at the entrance to a building with ovens. Age — around 2993 BCE.

The bread is made from coarsely ground emmer wheat with added lentils. The flour was not sifted. It was baked at a temperature above 150 °C.

It was intentionally charred and placed at the threshold, then covered with clean soil. The authors write: «The bread was intentionally charred as part of a ritual action and left as an offering».

This is a building closure ritual. The authors note: «Bread is not just food, but a tool that strengthens social solidarity and identity».

The find shows that already 5,000 years ago, bread had important symbolic significance.

Source: Kavak S., Tuna Y., Eker Y.R., Akyol Ş., Özcan A.C., Türkteki M. Archaeometric analysis of Early Bronze Age bread from Küllüoba Höyük. PLoS ONE 21(3): e0344705 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0344705