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The fragment of bread retrieved from an oven in Çatalhöyük. Source: Erbakan

World’s Oldest Fermented Bread, Dated to 6,600 BC, Found at Çatalhöyük

During excavations two years ago at the famous ancient Anatolian city of Çatalhöyük , archaeologists uncovered a large furnace-like structure that would have been used as a communal oven. They also...
Australian Aboriginals are the first culture to make bread. Source:  Riccardo Niels Mayer / Adobe Stock.

Australian Aboriginals Have Been Baking Bread for 34,000+ Years!

Long held as the inventors of bread , the Egyptians, credited with this culinary innovation around 8000 BC, have been surpassed by Australian Aboriginals in historical precedence. Remarkably,...
Ancient Egyptian bread. Source: Matrioshka / Adobe Stock.

The Real Culprit of an Ancient Egyptian Plague Was... Bread? (Video)

In the shadowy corridors of ancient Egyptian history, an unexpected peril lay hidden within their daily sustenance: bread . At Exeter University, UK, plant pathologist Sarah Gurr unravels the mystery...
Human skull and bread. Source: Samitanun / Adobe Stock.

Human Bones Were Ground into Flour to Make Bread in 16th Century France

In human history, there are some tales so bizarre they surpass the wildest fiction. One such story, rooted in the grim realities of 16th century France, reveals a desperate and macabre solution to...
An elaborate loaf of bread in the European Bread Museum, Greece. Photo: Joanna Gillan

From Grain to Glory: The European Bread Museum’s Tribute to a Staple of Civilization

In a world inundated with a rich diversity of histories, the presence of a museum dedicated solely to bread stands as a delightful anomaly. Located in the heart of Varnavas, Greece, the European...
Baby eels used in Vietnamese eel soup. Source: tulpahn / Adobe Stock.

What Traditional Breakfast Is Like Around the World (Video)

The world's morning meals have evolved remarkably over time. Once forbidden in medieval Europe, breakfast has transformed into a crucial start for industrious lives. Influences like coffee and tea...
Guang bing Chinese bagel. Source: Kenishirotie / Adobe Stock.

How a 500-Year-Old Chinese ‘Bagel’ Helped Win a War (Video)

Today bagels are a staple snack for many of us, but did you know that hundreds of years ago a Chinese variation helped win a war? This remarkable creation, known as the guang-bing, holds the key to...
Main: Portrait of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. (Public domain). Inset: A sandwich. Source: Mikhaylovskiy / Adobe Stock

The Beloved Sandwich Was Invented by The Earl of Sandwich!

I’m pretty sure that the 18th century Earl of Sandwich, Lord John Montagu, would have been miffed to discover that despite his long and varied career as a statesman, during which he was Postmaster...
The remains of the Roman marching camp were uncovered during building work. Source: GUARD Archaeology Ltd / Fair Use.

Evidence Of New Route Into Scotland For Roman Invasion Attempt

A school playing field in Ayrshire , in the west of Scotland, has provided archaeologists with multiple layers of archaeology topped with a Roman marching camp used in the Roman conquest of Scotland...
Traditional hand-made bread (gosphotodesign / Adobe Stock)

History Buff Bakes Ancient Egyptian Bread Using 1,500-Year-Old Yeast Scrapings

A history enthusiast has baked loaves of ancient bread based on an ancient Egyptian recipe and using an ingredient that was 1,500 years old – yeast scrapings taken from ancient Egyptian bread pots...
Grinding bones into bread - human skull and fresh bread.

The Desperate and Distasteful Practice of Grinding Human Bones to Make Bread

Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the blood of an English man: Be he alive, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread. The rhyme comes from the popular fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk , and is one...
Ancient Egyptian preparing food.

What Egyptians Ate: Did the Cuisine of Ancient Egypt Reflect the Tastes of Today?

The ancient Egyptians enjoyed a variety of foods, not unlike what we enjoy today. Nevertheless, compared to many other ancient civilizations, the ancient Egyptians had access to better foods. The...
One of the stone structures of the Shubayqa 1 site. The fireplace, where the bread was found, is in the middle.

14,400-year-old Bread Causes Major Re-think on the Birth of Agriculture

At an archaeological site in northeastern Jordan, researchers have discovered the charred remains of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers 14,400 years ago. It is the oldest direct evidence of bread...
The excavation site at Tell Edfu (with the temple of Horus and the modern town of Edfu in the background).

Archaeologists get a Glimpse of Everyday Life in an Ancient Egyptian Royal Outpost

Hieroglyphic sealings, mudbrick buildings, storage containers, and small pieces of copper provide archaeologists with a glimpse into life in a Nile Valley settlement during the Old Kingdom of ancient...
Part of an ancient Egyptian statue

Boats, Bowling and Moldy Bread: Curious Achievements Ancient Egypt Shared With the World

Ancient Egypt is one on the oldest civilizations in the world and it was also home to many of the ancient world’s greatest achievements. Without their creativity and innovative approach to the world...
In this fresco, Jesus is shown seated on a throne with his disciples at hand. The painting is in the Catacombs of St. Domitilla in Rome, which have been newly restored.

Burning off the Crust: New Laser Treatment Used to Clean Frescoes in Rome’s Largest 1600-year-old Catacomb Complex

Formerly blacked-out frescoes and ancient graffiti in some of Italy’s largest catacombs have been revealed using laser and scanner technology. Restorers, employed by the Vatican, have unveiled...
A boy holding a platter of fruits with a bucket of crabs, in a kitchen with fish and squid, on the June panel from a mosaic depicting the months (3rd century)

Eating Like a Roman: Healthy Greens, Gritty Bread and Fish Paste – The Evolution of Ancient Roman Cuisine

While the reputation of ancient Roman dining features decadent drinking and feasting to a point of excess – leading to notorious purges in the vomitorium – those stories were largely anecdotal, or...
A Drink Fit for Goddesses: Beer and Mankind in Ancient Mythology

A Drink Fit for Goddesses: Beer and Mankind in Ancient Mythology

It is widely known these days that beer is one of the oldest beverages human beings have ever produced. Beer-related items and activities familiar to us today can be traced back to the ancient world...
The Obscure Mangiapane Cave in Sicily

The Obscure Mangiapane Cave in Sicily: Prehistoric Cave and Site of Modern Feasts

Mangiapane Cave (known also in Italian as Grotta Mangiapane) is a cave that has been occupied on and off since prehistoric times. In addition to being a prehistoric site, Mangiapane Cave is also well...