KONYA, TURKEY—The Anadolu Agency reports that an artifact recovered at the site of the Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük by a team of researchers led by Ali Umut Turkcan of Anadolu University has been identified as a small loaf of unbaked bread. Located in central Anatolia, Çatalhöyük was home to some 8,000 people who lived in adobe houses with interconnected roofs. Researchers from Necmettin Erbakan University detected wheat, barley, and pea seeds in the small, round, spongy artifact, which was discovered in a corner of a severely damaged clay structure and radiocarbon dated to 8,600 years ago. “It hasn’t been baked in the oven but has fermented, preserving the starches,” Turkcan explained. To read about research on the lack of ventilation in the houses at Çatalhöyük, go to “Around the World: Turkey.”
