The clay bread stamp presented here was found at in a monastic complex dating to the Late Byzantine-Early Islamic period at Khirbet et-Tireh, approximately 16 km northwest of Jerusalem. The stamp, which consists of a cross and other simple geometrics, is of fired clay and is notable both for its workmanship and for surviving almost completely intact. Based on the monastic context of the find, plus the stamp's relatively small size, it was probably used to decorate small individual loaves, perhaps as sacramental bread.We are grateful to my B.A. archaeology students for their
tireless efforts over the course of the excavation season of 2014.
Thanks are also extended to Feryal Nasser for her encouragement
and financial assistance, which has made possible the publication
of this study. Finally, I would like to thank Tom Powers
for his constructive proofreading and comments on the draft of
this work

Al-Houdalieh, Salah H.

Near Eastern Archaeology

English

Al-Quds University Digital Repository

272 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 79.4 (2016)
History of the Site
Khirbet et-Tireh is located on the western outskirts of Ra-
mallah, approximately 16 km northwest of Jerusalem. The larger 
ancient settlement covered a total area of about 30,000 sq m, 
however nearly three-fourths of its historic fortified space has 
been destroyed in modern times by the construction of sever-
al commercial, residential, and educational facilities, as well as 
roads. Khirbet et-Tireh was inhabited during the Hellenistic, 
Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic periods. Three excavation 
campaigns have been conducted thus far under my direction 
during the summers of 2013 to 2015, with approximately 1,600 
sq m being excavated. The surviving architectural remains at the 
site include two Byzantine-era churches, a Byzantine monastery, 
a rock-cut olive press (fig. 1), a system of fortifications, a rock-
cut reservoir, a cistern, water channels, several burial caves, and 
a wide street corridor. The excavations at several different loca-
tions within the site indicate that most of the unearthed residen-
tial complexes consisted of two storeys. The settlement reached 
its zenith during the Byzantine–Early Islamic period and was 
probably damaged by the earthquake that struck the Levant in 
ca. 749 c.e. (fig. 2). In order to engage the local community in 
safeguarding the country’s cultural heritage resources, and to 
raise public awareness about the importance and value of their 
cultural heritage, we have organized several free workshops and 
seminars at different institutions. In addition, at the end of each 
excavation campaign we conduct a structured and guided site 
presentation (fig. 3; Al-Houdalieh 2014, 2015, 2016).
Salah H. Al-Houdalieh
A Clay Bread Stamp from Khirbet et-Tireh
T  he stamping of bread dough before baking is an ancient practice, performed from the Neolithic period up until recent times. The stamped breads were imprinted with 
a wide range of symbols and used for different occasions and 
purposes. The clay bread stamp presented here was found at 
Khirbet et-Tireh, a site lying approximately 16 km northwest 
of Jerusalem. The design carved into the stamp face consists 
of a cross and other simple geometrics. This object, which we 
have dated to the Late Byzantine–Early Islamic period, is 
notable both for its workmanship and for surviving almost 
completely intact. Based on the monastic context of the find, 
plus the stamp's relatively small size, it was probably used to 
decorate small individual loaves, perhaps as sacramental bread.
Aerial view of Khirbet et-Tireh (looking north) in 2015, showing the impact 
of modern urban development on the site. Photo by Khamees Al-Masri.
This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch. 
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual.html for more information.
Figure 2. A destruction layer showing that the floor surface of an upper 
storey was tessellated with white mosaics. Photo by Salah Al-Houdalieh.
NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 79.4 (2016) 273
Background
Based on archaeological evidence, stamping 
implements of various kinds were used throughout 
history to leave designs on many different materials 
and objects: bread dough, textiles, the human body, 
pottery, animals, leather (Naumov 2008: 185–87), 
mud brick (Kakish 2014: 20; Caseau 2012: 115; 
Grünbart and Lochner-Metaxas 2004: 178), human 
and animal figurines, basketry, walls (Prijatelj 2007: 
243), wax (Stiebel 2011: 229), and precious metals 
(Grünbart and Lochner-Metaxas 2004: 178)
Decorating bread by the use of stamps was a 
common practice in the ancient world (Kakish 2014: 
19). Archaeological evidence has pointed out plau-
sibly that this practice was developed in Asia and 
southern Europe during the Early Neolithic period 
(eighth millennium b.c.e.; Skeates 2007; Naumov 
2008: 191) and has continued without interrup-
tion into modern times (Prijatelj 2007: 252). Several 
scholars have attributed the phenomenon of stamp-
ing bread to magical or religious rituals, or simply as 
a mark of identification, especially for commercial 
purposes (Kakish 2014: 19).
The corpus of known bread stamps differs greatly 
according to material, shape, and size (Feig 1994). 
The documented stamps were also crafted from var-
ious materials, including clay (Prijatelj 2007: 240), 
stone (Prijatelj 2007: 240; Hübner 1990: 177), metal 
or wood (Stiebel 2011: 229). The bases of the stamps 
(the part pressed into the dough) can be modeled in 
any number of different shapes or forms, including 
circular, oval, rectangular, cross-shaped, foot-like, 
rhomboid (Prijatelj 2007: 240), and triangular (Kak-
ish 2014: 28). They are of 
course decorated with a 
wide variety of motifs, in 
either low or high relief 
(Prijatelj 2007: 240). This 
decoration can consist of 
many different kinds of 
geometric patterns, such 
as triangles, circles, chev-
rons, dots, crosses, spirals, 
labyrinths, lines (straight, 
zigzag or curved; Prijatelj 
2007: 240, Naumov 2008: 
191–97), meanders, and 
twisted patterns (Naumov 
2008: 191–97). Beyond 
this, there are figurative 
designs depicting hu-
man beings and animals 
Figure 1. The oil press, showing two cross-shaped press frames in the eastern wall (top) and other, 
larger-scale pressing installations hewn into the floor surface. Photo by Salah Al-Houdalieh.
This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch. 
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual.html for more information.
274 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 79.4 (2016)
(Prijatelj 2007: 240) as well as 
inscriptions of words or texts 
(Hübner 1990: 178). Bread 
stamps differ in size compared 
to other kinds of stamps (such 
as personal/sealing stamps), 
being significantly larger than 
other types (Kakish 2014). 
Among known bread stamps, 
the size varies as well, depend-
ing on the shape and intended 
function. From the Neolithic 
period, for example, the base 
(face) of round or oval stamps 
ranges between 3–4 cm on av-
erage, with some having a di-
ameter of up to 12 cm (Naumov 
2008: 191); the height (face to handle-tip) of the Neolithic 
stamps varies between 5 cm and 8 cm (Prijatelj 2007: 240). 
When we come to the Byzantine period, however, the di-
mensions of the base (face) of round or oval stamps range 
between 3 cm (Kakish 2014: 21–22) up to 20 cm (Hübner 
1990: 177).
Feig states that bread stamps were very common in the 
Mediterranean region during the Byzantine period. How-
ever, very few have been discovered in well-stratified cul-
tural contexts exposed in controlled excavation, with most 
of these dating to the fifth–sixth centuries (1994: 591–92). 
In Palestine, bread stamps have been discovered in Jeru-
salem, Beth Shean, Khirbet Gov, Kefar Bar’am in the Up-
per Galilee, Tiberias, Wadi Murabba’at, Kefar O’thnay, Kafr 
Sume’, Tell Wadi z-Zeit, and Caesarea Maritima.1
The Stamp of Khirbet et-Tireh
The bread stamp was found in the lower part of the de-
struction layer of a room located about 15 m north of the 
Byzantine western church. This room, which constitutes 
part of a much larger Byzantine building (a monastic com-
plex), is situated along the western side of an ancient street 
or pathway leading to the two apparently contemporaneous 
Byzantine churches discovered at the site. The destruction 
layer, measuring 75 cm thick, lay immediately beneath the 
topsoil and yielded numerous artifacts. These included two 
byzantine coins; a few animal bones; 23 pottery sherds (of 
which 13 are diagnostics) representing fragments of jars, 
bowls, oil lamps, and jugs; and the clay bread stamp, the 
subject of the present study. 
The stamp itself is rectangular in shape, measuring 7.8 
cm × 5 cm (base) and 2.6 cm tall (face to handle-tip); its 
weight is 60 grams. On the back it has a raised handle run-
ning across the longer dimension, solid except for a 4 mm 
diameter perforation midway along its length. The stamp is 
in good condition, with only minimal breakage on a small 
section of one edge. The clay is orange in color, of quite fine 
quality, and the reverse surface, together with the handle, 
Figure 5. The bread 
stamp from Khirbet 
et-Tireh, showing 
its bottom surface 
(face). Photo by S. 
Al-Houdalieh.
Figure 3. Site presentation for local civic and religious officials, 2015. Photo by Basil Nofal. 
Figure 4. Drawing of the bread stamp from Khirbet et-Tireh: (A) bottom surface (face);  
(B) upper surface and handle; (C) longitudinal cross section A-A. Drawing by I. Iqtait. 
This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch. 
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual.html for more information.
NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 79.4 (2016) 275
bears remains of a thin yellowish slip. The clay is mixed with 
some sand, small particles of grog and limestone. The face of 
the stamp is fashioned with a thin, recessed outer frame, leaving 
a raised area inside for the engraving. This design consists of a 
large Greek cross surrounded by geometric patterns of dots and 
radiating lines, all deeply carved (figs. 4 and 5); two of the lines 
form a prominent “V” shape or chevron. Since the perforated 
handle is relatively thick and tall, we conclude that the stamping 
was done with the stamp held between the thumb and forefin-
ger, with the other fingers closed. Moreover, the stamp was likely 
used frequently by one or more authorized individuals and thus 
was hung by a string or cord and worn around the neck. Due 
to the relatively small size of the stamp, we assume that it was 
pressed upon the center of the leavened loaf, but before it started 
to rise. Furthermore, the presence of the stamp at Khirbet et-
Tireh makes it likely that the bread was manufactured locally.
Conclusion
The bread stamp found at Khirbet et-Tireh is noteworthy 
for its complete form (except for minor damage) and also the 
rather high quality of manufacture. It would have been molded 
by hand, smoothed, then the face engraved, and finally fired to 
a high temperature. In use it was held between thumb and fore-
finger and pressed into the leavened but as-yet-unraised dough. 
This stamp—based on its engraved cross imprint, the monastic 
context of the find, and the object’s relatively small size—was 
probably used to decorate small, individual loaves baked for a 
special purpose, either as sacramental bread for the Eucharist 
or for distribution to the community afterward. Interpretation 
of the (inverted?) chevron design awaits further research and 
comparison with other known examples. Since this object was 
encountered in the destruction layer of a building more or less 
contemporaneous with the two unearthed Byzantine–Umayyad 
period churches on the site, we believe that the stamp can be 
confidently dated to the Late Byzantine–Early Islamic period.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to my B.A. archaeology students for their 
tireless efforts over the course of the excavation season of 2014. 
Thanks are also extended to Feryal Nasser for her encourage-
ment and financial assistance, which has made possible the pub-
lication of this study. Finally, I would like to thank Tom Powers 
for his constructive proofreading and comments on the draft of 
this work.
Note
1. Tiberias (Feig 1994); Wadi Murabba’at (de Vaux et al. 1961: 35–36); 
Kefar O’thnay (Stiebel 2006: 29–30); Kafr Sume’ (Hübner 1990: 178); 
Tell Wadi z-Zeit (Rahmani 1970); Caesarea Maritima (Di Segni 
2000: 383–400).
References
Al-Houdalieh, Salah. 2014. The Byzantine Church of Khirbet et-Tireh. 
Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 2: 
188–208.
———. 2015. The Oil Press Complex of Khirbat al-Tira. Jerusalem 
Quarterly Journal 62: 84–96.
———. 2016. The Byzantine Eastern Church of Khirbet et-Tireh. Ar-
chaeological Discovery Journal 4: 48–67.
Caseau, B. 2012. Magical Protection and Stamps in Byzantium. Pp. 
115–32 in Seals and Sealing Practices in the Near East: Devel-
opment in Administration and Magic from Prehistory to the Is-
lamic Period, ed. Ilona Regulski, Kim Duistermaat, and Peter 
Verkinderen. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 219. Leuven: 
Peeters.
De Vaux, R. et al. 1961. Discoveries in the Judean Desert II. Oxford: 
Oxford University Press.
Di Segni, Leah. 2000. A Chapel of St. Paul at Caesarea Maritime? The 
Inscriptions. Libaer Annuus 50: 383–400.
Feig, Nurit. 1994. A Byzantine Bread Stamp from Tiberias. Liber An-
nuss 44: 591–94.
Grünbart, M., and S. Lochner-Metaxas. 2004. Stempel(n) in Byzanz. 
Pp. 177–87 in Wiener Byzantinistik und Neogräzistik: Beiträge 
zum Symposion 40 Jahre Institut für Byzantinistik und Neo-
gräzistik der Universität Wien im Gedenken an Herbert Hunger. 
Wien 4.–7. Dezember 2002, ed. Wolfram Hörandner, Johannes 
Koder, and Maria A. Stassinopoulou. Byzantina et Neograeca 
24. Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Hübner, Ulrich. 1990. Ein Byzantinischer Brotstempel aus Dibon. 
Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina Vereins 106: 177–79.
Kakish, Randa. 2014. Ancient Bread Stamps from Jordan. Mediterra-
nean Archaeology and Archaeometry 14: 19–31.
Naumov, Goce. 2008. Imprints of the Neolithic Mind-Clay Stamps 
from the Republic of Macedonia. Documenta praehistorica 
35: 185–204.
Prijatelj, Agni. 2007. Digging the Neolithic Stamp-Seals of SE Europe 
from Archaeological Deposits, Texts and Mental Construc-
tions. Ducumenta praehistorica 34: 231–56.
Rahmani, Levi. 1970. A Eulogia Stamp from the Gaza Region. Israel 
Exploration Journal 20: 105–8.
Skeates, Robin. 2007. Neolithic Stamps: Cultural Patterns, Processes 
and Potencies. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 17: 183–98. 
Stiebel, Guy. 2006. Roman Military Artifacts. Pp. 29–31 in A Christian 
Prayer Hall of the Third Century CE at Kefar ‘Othnay (legio), 
Excavations at Megiddo Prison 2005, ed. Yotam Tepper and 
Leah Di Segni. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
———. 2011. A Military Die from the Bakery. Qedem 52: 229–32.
Salah H. Al-Houdalieh is a professor of archaeology and cultural heritage at Al-
Quds University. His current research and teaching interests include archaeology 
and ethnography in the Levant, cultural identity, antiquities looting, mosaics, 
and heritage ethics. Several of his fieldwork projects have examined how both 
urban development and the looting of antiquities sites are impacting Palestine’s 
cultural heritage and endangering its archaeological resources
This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch. 
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual.html for more information.


A clay bread stamp from Khirbet et-Tireh

https://dspace.alquds.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12213/938/RES_53_JOURNAL_neareastarch_79_4_0272author_houdalieh.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

A clay bread stamp from Khirbet et-Tireh

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Al-Quds University Digital Repository