8,600 Year Old Prophet Adam’s Bread Found in Türkiye

CAIRO – An extraordinary discovery occurred in Çatalhöyük, Türkiye, a ancient city which was founded around 9,000 years ago. Archaeologists discovered an 8,600 year old loaf of bread that was still intact!

That year, based on the opinion of Ibn Kathir and Imam as-Suyuthi who estimated that the Prophet Adam as was ordered to come down to earth by Allah Ta’ala in 5872 BC.

This opinion is written in Qashash al-Anbiya’ Ibn Katsir and Badai’ az-Zuhur Imam as-Suyuthi. That means, Adam and his wife Eve came down to earth almost 8 thousand years ago.

As reported by IFL Science, Sunday (10/3/2024), although older flatbreads have been found in Jordan, this discovery is believed to be the oldest kneaded bread in the world. This bread dough was most likely fermented around 6,600 BC.

This bread is well preserved because it is wrapped in a unique way and buried in the oven. Dr. Ali Umut Türkcan, head of the excavation delegation from Anadolu University, explained that the clay-covered structure of the oven helped keep the bread intact for thousands of years.

The discovery of this bread shows that the Çatalhöyük people already had knowledge about fermentation and processing flour into bread. This marks an important development in human history, namely the transition from a nomadic lifestyle to a settled life and farming.

Çatalhöyük itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is famous as one of the earliest centers of urbanization in the world. The city has a dense population of 8,000 people and shows evidence of animal and plant domestication.

The discovery of this bread further strengthens Çatalhöyük’s role as a center of cultural and technological development in the past. Dr. Türkcan even called it “the starting point of food archaeology” and “one of the most important stops” in human history.

Although there are claims of older flatbreads in Jordan, the discovery of kneaded bread in Çatalhöyük shows advances in food processing technology at that time. This bread is not just unleavened bread, but is fermented bread and has a more complex texture.

This discovery provides new insights into how ancient humans lived and how they developed their technology and culture. This bread is clear proof that humans have been able to process food and grow crops since ancient times.

(wbs)