1,000-year-old chicken egg, one of the oldest ever, found in Israel
Since the shell was slightly cracked, most of its contents leaked out, but part of the yoke was still inside, which will allow further analysis in the future.
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Alla Nagorsky with the egg that was retrieved.(photo credit: ASSAF PEREZ/ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY )
A complete chicken egg
dating back 1,000 years has been unearthed in Yavne, a town in central
Israel, the Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.
“This
is a very rare find, in Israel and the world,” said Dr. Lee Perry Gal
of the IAA, a leading expert on poultry in the ancient world. “Eggshell
fragments are always interesting to find in excavations, but they are
relatively common. A complete egg is really unique.”
Eggshell fragments from earlier periods were found in the City of David in Jerusalem and at Caesarea and Apollonia.
The complete egg was unearthed in a vast industrial complex dating to the Byzantine
period (4th-7th centuries CE). Within the site, the archaeologists
found a cesspit from the Islamic period, and to their surprise they
spotted an unusual object inside.
The egg from the excavation. (Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority)
“The
egg’s unique preservation is evidently due to the conditions in which
it lay for centuries, nestled in a cesspit containing soft human waste
that preserved it,” said IAA archaeologist Alla Nagorsky, the site’s
excavation director. “Even today, eggs rarely survive for long in
supermarket cartons. It’s amazing to think this is a 1,000-year-old
find!”
Since the
shell was slightly cracked, most of its contents leaked out, but part of
the yoke was still inside, which will allow further analysis in the
future.
“Chickens
were domesticated in southeast Asia relatively recently, around 6,000
years ago, but it took time for them to enter the human diet,” Perry Gal
noted. “They were used for other purposes, such as cockfighting, and
they were considered beautiful animals, exhibited in ancient zoos and
given as presents to kings.
“Actually,
one of the earliest sites in the world where we find evidence of
chicken farming is Maresha, a Hellenistic site in Israel dating back
2,300 years,” she added.
According to Perry Gal, ancient chickens found in the region, as well as their eggs, were smaller than modern ones.
Chicken came to represent an important part of the diet of ancient
Jews and, later on, of ancient Muslims, who could not consume pork.
“Families
needed a ready protein substitute that does not require cooling and
preservation, and they found it in eggs and chicken meat,” said Perry
Gal.
The egg found
in Yavne further cracked and broke when it was removed from the site,
but was restored to its original state in the IAA organics lab.
The cesspit also contained some other objects, including three bone dolls from the same period.
The excavation has been conducted as part of the project to build a new neighborhood in Yavne.
Israeli law requires that all construction projects are accompanied by a salvage excavation.
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Alla Nagorsky with the egg that was retrieved.(photo credit: ASSAF PEREZ/ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY )
A complete chicken egg
dating back 1,000 years has been unearthed in Yavne, a town in central
Israel, the Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.
“This
is a very rare find, in Israel and the world,” said Dr. Lee Perry Gal
of the IAA, a leading expert on poultry in the ancient world. “Eggshell
fragments are always interesting to find in excavations, but they are
relatively common. A complete egg is really unique.”
Eggshell fragments from earlier periods were found in the City of David in Jerusalem and at Caesarea and Apollonia.
The complete egg was unearthed in a vast industrial complex dating to the Byzantine
period (4th-7th centuries CE). Within the site, the archaeologists
found a cesspit from the Islamic period, and to their surprise they
spotted an unusual object inside.
The egg from the excavation. (Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority)“The egg’s unique preservation is evidently due to the conditions in which it lay for centuries, nestled in a cesspit containing soft human waste that preserved it,” said IAA archaeologist Alla Nagorsky, the site’s excavation director. “Even today, eggs rarely survive for long in supermarket cartons. It’s amazing to think this is a 1,000-year-old find!”
Since the
shell was slightly cracked, most of its contents leaked out, but part of
the yoke was still inside, which will allow further analysis in the
future.
“Chickens
were domesticated in southeast Asia relatively recently, around 6,000
years ago, but it took time for them to enter the human diet,” Perry Gal
noted. “They were used for other purposes, such as cockfighting, and
they were considered beautiful animals, exhibited in ancient zoos and
given as presents to kings.
“Actually,
one of the earliest sites in the world where we find evidence of
chicken farming is Maresha, a Hellenistic site in Israel dating back
2,300 years,” she added.
According to Perry Gal, ancient chickens found in the region, as well as their eggs, were smaller than modern ones.
Chicken came to represent an important part of the diet of ancient
Jews and, later on, of ancient Muslims, who could not consume pork.
“Families
needed a ready protein substitute that does not require cooling and
preservation, and they found it in eggs and chicken meat,” said Perry
Gal.
The egg found
in Yavne further cracked and broke when it was removed from the site,
but was restored to its original state in the IAA organics lab.
The cesspit also contained some other objects, including three bone dolls from the same period.
The excavation has been conducted as part of the project to build a new neighborhood in Yavne.
Israeli law requires that all construction projects are accompanied by a salvage excavation.
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