August 4, 2025 • 6 mins
Sandwiching in a story about bread.
We're already a few days into our month of Odd News PAC stories for the Dog Days of Podcasting, and today we're serving up something truly stale. But in a good way!
In this edition, we're slicing into the baffling tale of a 5,000-year-old loaf of bread unearthed by archaeologists in Türkiye. And there's no doubt about it, this is one mysterious loaf. Who baked it? Why was it buried under the entrance to a house? Was it part of an ancient ritual? So many questions. You'll have to listen to find out what rye comments Clinton will make about this very odd discovery.
But that's not all! As we continue to celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of comedy4cast, we're looking back at some of our favorite moments. This episode features a classic clip from 2006 with a skit that finds Clinton answering listener emails, with the help of fellow podcasters. It's a hilarious look back at a much simpler time in podcasting.
So, why wheat? Press play and let us know: Would you try a slice of 5,000-year-old bread?
Lending their voices in this episode are Steve Runner ("Phedippidations" podcast), Scott Johnson ("Frogpants Studios" family of podcasts) and Grant Baciocco ("Saturday Morning Media" family of fine podcasts).
>> Guest Star: Steve Runner, from the Phedippidations podcast>> Guest Star: Scott Johnson, from the Frogpants Studios family of podcasts>> Guest Star: Grant Baciocco, from the Saturday Morning Media family of podcasts>> Support comedy4cast by becoming a patron on Patreon>> Or you can get Clinton a Dunkin' card or a cup of coffee via Ko-Fi>> Follow comedy4cast on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, MeWe, and Mastodon >> Give us a call via the Super Secret Phone Line (213) 290-4451>> Also check out Clinton's other podcast, The Topic is Trek>> Certain sounds effects heard on comedy4cast are courtesy of freeSFX and FreeSound.org
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting, a call for podcasters to
try to put out a podcast every day in August.
For more information and to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
(00:24):
We always take this month to provide you with some interesting,
yet totally useless, odd news.
And this year, to celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of comedy4cast,
or PAC for short, we'll end each Dog Day episode with part of a classic comedy4cast episode.
So, let's get started with Odd News PAC!
(00:50):
Archaeologists recently unveiled a rare culinary find, a well-preserved loaf of ancient bread.
The artifact was found during an archaeological excavation at the Kalluoba site
in the Eskisehir province located in central Turkey.
The bread is roughly 5,000 years old and was baked during Turkey's Bronze Age.
(01:12):
Hey, by the way, I thought it was now called Türkiye, so I'm going with that.
Murat Türkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation,
told reporters that ancient bread is a rare find.
Usually, you only find crumbs.
Well, sure. I think archaeology is one big case of following breadcrumbs.
(01:32):
Anyway, since May, Turkish... Ooh, uh...
Türkiye-ish bakers have been working to recreate the bread.
The recipe is based on an ancient wheat which is best suited to drought conditions,
shedding light on the climate of central Türkiye during the Bronze Age,
or Bread Age in this case.
Serap Güler, the bakery's manager, revealed that the bread is made by combining
(01:55):
ancient wheat flour, lentils, and bulgur.
Apparently this produces a rich, satisfying, low-gluten, preservative-free bread.
So Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are interested.
The yellow cake-like loaves have reportedly been a hit with local residents.
One customer said she was curious about the taste of the ancient bread,
(02:16):
so she rushed to the bakery to try it because she was afraid there wouldn't be any left.
Calm down. The bread is already 5,000 years old.
I think it will be around a few more weeks. But here's the odd part.
Researchers say this loaf of ancient bread they unearthed was burnt,
and it was buried underneath the entrance of a dwelling dating back to 3,300 BC.
(02:39):
Apparently, some of the bread, which measures about five inches in diameter,
was torn off before it was buried.
Of course, all that might have been part of some religious or cultural ritual,
but what if, just what if, it was buried because the person who baked it was
really bummed that they had burned the bread and didn't want anyone to know?
(03:00):
They took a big bite and said, Yeah, this is terrible.
You know what? I'm just going to bury it here under the stairs and forget about it.
I mean, it's not like anyone is going to come along in 5,000 years and dig it up.
That would be crazy. But just in case, I'll put some crumbs from this good loaf
of bread I baked all over the place.
(03:22):
So there's no need to look under these stairs.
Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Okay, maybe not. Maybe I just need to go to Olive Garden for endless breadsticks.
And now, let's celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast with this classic clip.
This clip is from an episode that premiered on April 11, 2006.
(03:47):
I was at a meetup with fellow New England podcasters and had them read emails
I had received. And then I would respond to the question.
Here's one example. This is Steve Runner from Fidipidations.
Kim wrote in and asked, where do you get your ideas for your skits?
Do you have comedy elves?
No, Kim, there are no such things as comedy elves.
(04:10):
The drama leprechauns told me so.
But you're right, I don't come up with my own ideas. I actually have Scott Johnson
from Extra Life Radio locked up in the basement working on concepts.
Let's see how he's doing.
Hey, Johnson, what have you got? Here's another idea, sir.
It's about a webcomic artist locked in a basement, working up ideas for another podcaster's show.
(04:34):
No one's gonna buy a crazy premise like that. No video gaming for you.
Now back to work. Could you at least let me check in over at MyExtralife.com?
No need for that. I'm about to put your domain name up for sale on eBay.
(04:55):
Did you hear that, Fidgert? He's stealing our gags, too.
Wait till Dr. Floyd hears about this. Quick, Fidget, browse over to DoctorFloyd.com. Yes,
spell out doctor.
And quick, before someone realizes that we're part of this skit full of obvious self-promotion.
(05:18):
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News PAC.
But first, a shout-out to the comedy4cast Patreon patrons,
including our producer-level patron, Paul Barrie, from the A Window to the Magic
podcast at windowtothemagic.com.
You too can support comedy4cast
and get episodes before everyone else for as little as $2 a month.
(05:41):
Just search for comedy4cast, all one word with the number 4, on patreon.com.
Lending their voices in this episode were Steve Runner, Scott Johnson, and Grant Baciocco.
Additional voices, story, and original music by me, Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2025.
(06:02):
All rights reserved. Talk to you again next time. But for now,
that's it. We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting, a call for podcasters to
try to put out a podcast every day in August.
For more information and to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
(00:24):
We always take this month to provide you with some interesting,
yet totally useless, odd news.
And this year, to celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of comedy4cast,
or PAC for short, we'll end each Dog Day episode with part of a classic comedy4cast episode.
So, let's get started with Odd News PAC!
(00:50):
Archaeologists recently unveiled a rare culinary find, a well-preserved loaf of ancient bread.
The artifact was found during an archaeological excavation at the Kalluoba site
in the Eskisehir province located in central Turkey.
The bread is roughly 5,000 years old and was baked during Turkey's Bronze Age.
(01:12):
Hey, by the way, I thought it was now called Türkiye, so I'm going with that.
Murat Türkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation,
told reporters that ancient bread is a rare find.
Usually, you only find crumbs.
Well, sure. I think archaeology is one big case of following breadcrumbs.
(01:32):
Anyway, since May, Turkish... Ooh, uh...
Türkiye-ish bakers have been working to recreate the bread.
The recipe is based on an ancient wheat which is best suited to drought conditions,
shedding light on the climate of central Türkiye during the Bronze Age,
or Bread Age in this case.
Serap Güler, the bakery's manager, revealed that the bread is made by combining
(01:55):
ancient wheat flour, lentils, and bulgur.
Apparently this produces a rich, satisfying, low-gluten, preservative-free bread.
So Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are interested.
The yellow cake-like loaves have reportedly been a hit with local residents.
One customer said she was curious about the taste of the ancient bread,
(02:16):
so she rushed to the bakery to try it because she was afraid there wouldn't be any left.
Calm down. The bread is already 5,000 years old.
I think it will be around a few more weeks. But here's the odd part.
Researchers say this loaf of ancient bread they unearthed was burnt,
and it was buried underneath the entrance of a dwelling dating back to 3,300 BC.
(02:39):
Apparently, some of the bread, which measures about five inches in diameter,
was torn off before it was buried.
Of course, all that might have been part of some religious or cultural ritual,
but what if, just what if, it was buried because the person who baked it was
really bummed that they had burned the bread and didn't want anyone to know?
(03:00):
They took a big bite and said, Yeah, this is terrible.
You know what? I'm just going to bury it here under the stairs and forget about it.
I mean, it's not like anyone is going to come along in 5,000 years and dig it up.
That would be crazy. But just in case, I'll put some crumbs from this good loaf
of bread I baked all over the place.
(03:22):
So there's no need to look under these stairs.
Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Okay, maybe not. Maybe I just need to go to Olive Garden for endless breadsticks.
And now, let's celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast with this classic clip.
This clip is from an episode that premiered on April 11, 2006.
(03:47):
I was at a meetup with fellow New England podcasters and had them read emails
I had received. And then I would respond to the question.
Here's one example. This is Steve Runner from Fidipidations.
Kim wrote in and asked, where do you get your ideas for your skits?
Do you have comedy elves?
No, Kim, there are no such things as comedy elves.
(04:10):
The drama leprechauns told me so.
But you're right, I don't come up with my own ideas. I actually have Scott Johnson
from Extra Life Radio locked up in the basement working on concepts.
Let's see how he's doing.
Hey, Johnson, what have you got? Here's another idea, sir.
It's about a webcomic artist locked in a basement, working up ideas for another podcaster's show.
(04:34):
No one's gonna buy a crazy premise like that. No video gaming for you.
Now back to work. Could you at least let me check in over at MyExtralife.com?
No need for that. I'm about to put your domain name up for sale on eBay.
(04:55):
Did you hear that, Fidgert? He's stealing our gags, too.
Wait till Dr. Floyd hears about this. Quick, Fidget, browse over to DoctorFloyd.com. Yes,
spell out doctor.
And quick, before someone realizes that we're part of this skit full of obvious self-promotion.
(05:18):
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News PAC.
But first, a shout-out to the comedy4cast Patreon patrons,
including our producer-level patron, Paul Barrie, from the A Window to the Magic
podcast at windowtothemagic.com.
You too can support comedy4cast
and get episodes before everyone else for as little as $2 a month.
(05:41):
Just search for comedy4cast, all one word with the number 4, on patreon.com.
Lending their voices in this episode were Steve Runner, Scott Johnson, and Grant Baciocco.
Additional voices, story, and original music by me, Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2025.
(06:02):
All rights reserved. Talk to you again next time. But for now,
that's it. We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
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