🔶 MARKING BREAD The Romans used bread stamps to mark their loaves. In Roman cities, many people didn't have their own ovens and would take their prepared dough to communal or commercial bakeries to be baked. To ensure they got their own bread back, or to identify the baker in case of issues (like a short loaf or poor quality), they would press a stamp into the dough before it went into the oven. These stamps could bear the baker's name, a family mark, or even symbols. The importance of bread in Roman society, particularly with the state distribution of grain (later bread) to citizens, meant that quality and accountability were significant. Photo: Carbonized bread from the city of Pompeii or Herculaneum.