The baker left 81 loaves of bread in his furnace, saving his life, while the earth was constantly shaking, stones and volcanic ash scattered in all directions, and pyroclastic flows erased everything in their path.

Centuries will pass before the descendants of mankind will find those breads that were to “survive” one of the most violent volcanic eruptions what the world has experienced Pompeiiin 79 AD

Farrell Monaco, an archaeologist who studies and recreates the bread of ancient Greece and Rome, has spent seven years studying ancient bread culture and, in particular, what is left of bread. charred bread panis quadratus which were discovered in 1862 on the ruins of this bakery, which became known as “Modest’s Bakery”.

The popularity of these symmetrical breads among the inhabitants of Pompeii in the 1st century AD is captured in a fresco on the wall of the Casa del Panettiere, a residence next to the bakery.

Untouched, though charred, this bread was a common practice in Pompeii at the time, and archaeologists have recorded the find as chiambellacommon name bread, pastries and biscuits in the form of a ring – similar in shape to ours “pretzels“.

The charred bread, about seven centimeters in diameter, was made from durum wheat or wheat flour. The archaeologist herself tried to copy that ancient recipe by making a loaf.”arculata”, that is, a scroll intended for offerings and sacrifices.

The earliest references to “coils” in the archaeological record date back to the prehistoric era on the modern Austrian-Slovak border. These three loaves of wheat, dated to the 10th century BC, were found buried at the base of a pit where they are believed to have been placed as a ritual offering.

The first archaeological record of small “buns” was made by the pioneer of European bread history, Max Veren in Crete where he found one 4000 year old Minoan terracotta offering bowlwhich depicted a series of small rings on the inner base of the vessel, symbolizing a votive sacrifice. real bread.

In addition, archaeologists Nicholas Verdelis and John Salmon have documented archaeological evidence for ring-shaped terracotta sacrificial loaves in temples from the 6th century BC. in his Corinthian settlements Solygeia kassi from Perahora. The two explain that the offerings were believed to be related to the worship of Hera, the goddess of marriage and family.

Source: BBC