This is a carbonized loaf of bread from Pompeii, 79 C.E. - preserved for thousands of years in the volcanic ashes of Mount Vesuvius. The baker left his stamp, which reads: “Celer, slave of Quintus Granius Verus." Celer is known to have survived the eruption, as his name later appears on a list of "freed men." Most bread at the time was baked in community ovens, so customized stamps were used to mark individual families’ and bakeries’ loaves.
