Branding in Ancient Times

Click the Play Button to Listen to the Text

The round, flat stones in front of you are ancient bread stamps and were used to mark loaves of bread before they were baked.

After the dough was prepared at the bakery, they would strike it from above with the stamping stone. The blow created a round pita shape and also impressed a decoration into the dough, including the baker’s name. Each stamp had its own unique pattern, which shows that even in ancient times, branding was considered an important part of business... To this day, bread stamps are used in various parts of the world.

The light-colored stamp is made of limestone and is from the Byzantine period. It was found in 1937 in ancient Beit Shearim, near Kfar Yehoshua.

The black stamp is made of clay and is from the late Byzantine period.