User:Belshay/Bread stamp

A bread stamp is a specialized implement used to imprint an image, pattern, or name onto the surface of baked goods, most notably bread. The practice of stamping bread originated during the Neolithic period and continues into the present. The anthropological purpose of bread stamping varies significantly throughout time and culture but societal reasons include: identification of origination, commercial, legal, religious, magical, and artistic. An ancient bread stamp is often made of clay, limestone, copper, or bronze material of varying sizes and shapes. However, Roman and Byzantine commercial bread stamps were generally rectangular. With the advent of Christianity, religious themed bread stamps, particularly ones that were square, round, or cross shaped, also became popular in the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. The design template to be imprinted is carved into the bottom of the bread stamp, while the top is smooth and often accompanied by a handle for pressing and lifting. Similar to ancient bread stamps, modern bread stamps are generally used to inscribe the top side of the bread for identification or aesthetic reasons. Additionally, the Greek Orthodox Church continues to practice the ancient Roman religious custom of sealing bread with a liturgical stamp, which is referred to as a prosphora seal.

History
Archaeological evidence exists in certain Neolithic settlements of Eastern Europe supporting the position that tools were used during the Stone Age in the stamping of bread. In particular, excavation of Neolithic ruins in Macedonia have recovered clay stamps utilized by prehistoric bakers.