Uncovering the Truth Behind the Mysterious White Powder in Ancient Armenian Ruins

A Polish-Armenian team of archaeologists discovered piles of a mysterious white, powdery substance inside the ruins of a 3,000-year-old building in Metsamor, western Armenia, last fall. After conducting a chemical analysis, the team determined that the substance was wheat flour used to bake bread. They estimated that, at one time, approximately 3.5 tons of flour would have been stored inside the 82-by-82-foot building, which contained two rows of 18 wood columns supporting a reed roof with wood beams. Researchers estimate that the bakery was operational between the 11th and ninth centuries B.C. during the early Iron Age.