During the Roman era, bakeries were required to
stamp their bread with an individual seal in order
to trace the source of the loaves and to prevent
fraud or theft of imperial supplies. Upon the
birth of the Byzantine Empire, bread stamps were
still used, although their purpose had
significantly changed. Although varying greatly
in size and shape, the common characteristic of
Byzantine bread stamps was the emphasis in
drawing fracture lines that indicated to the priest
where to cut the loaf. These lines become even
more important on Eucharistic stamps that
marked the consecrated bread for communion.
However, this circular bread stamp was likely
used for more secular occasions as suggested by
the inscription. The engraved name reads,
“EUTROPIOU,” translated properly as, “belonging
to Eutropios.” Surely the presence of an
individual’s name makes it highly unlikely that
this stamp would have marked the ritual bread
utilized in the reenactment of the Eucharist. In
fact, the legend seems to indicate this stamp
might have more in common with its Roman
predecessors than its Byzantine contemporaries.
Who was Eutropios and why did he have his own
bread stamp? Was he a baker whose confections
were well known and often imitated? Was he a
restaurateur who demanded a great quantity of
loaves each day? Perhaps he was a government
official who provided bread to the needy or
oversaw the dispensation of soldiers' rations? In
any case, this bronze bread stamp is a historical
record of baking in the Byzantine era that
reiterates how essential the basic staples of
existence are to leading a healthy life in any age.
