It turns out that a ``Roman egg'' discovered in the UK contains a liquid mixed with yolk and white
A 3D scan of a chicken egg excavated from a 1,700-year-old Roman ruin in southern England revealed that a liquid containing yolk and white was preserved in the shell. This may be the oldest egg ever discovered with its contents still intact.
Roman egg found in Aylesbury still has contents after 1,700 years | Archaeology | The Guardian
Spectacularly preserved Roman-age egg still has its yolk and whites | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/spectacularly-preserved-roman-age-egg-still-has-its-yolk-and-whites
From 2007 to 2016, Oxford Archaeology , a private organization that conducts archaeological research, conducted excavations at Roman ruins in Aylesbury , a city in Buckinghamshire , southern Great Britain .
During this excavation, a ``water-filled pit'' was found on the side of a Roman road, and various Roman artifacts were discovered inside. This hole was originally used for malting (the process of making malt from wheat) and brewing, but in the late 3rd century it became a place for residents and passersby to throw coins and offerings for good luck. .
In the hole, which was still flooded with water at the time of excavation, many organic materials not found in normal ruins were found, such as wooden baskets, leather shoes, and wooden tools. What surprised archaeologists was the discovery of 'four chicken eggs.' According to Oxford Archaeology, eggs in Roman times were associated with Mithras and Mercury , and had the meaning of abundance and rebirth.
The approximately 1,700-year-old eggs were extremely fragile, and three of the eggs broke during excavation, emitting a strong odor. However, one of the lead archaeologists, Steve Leach, paid close attention and succeeded in recovering one egg intact.
Below is a photo of the 'Aylesbury Egg' that was actually excavated. You can clearly see even the spots on the surface. Edward Biddulph, senior project manager at Oxford Archaeology, said this is the only example of an intact Roman egg found in Britain. 'There is no.'
Although this excavation ended in 2016, Oxford Archeology preserved the recovered eggs and continued the investigation. In 2023, it was decided to perform a 3D scan of the egg at the suggestion of
As a result of 3D scanning of eggs using an X-ray microscope at the University of Kent in the UK, it was found that a liquid mixed with yolk and white remained inside the shell. Biddulph said: ``We now have an amazing image that shows that the egg is not only intact, but also retains fluids inside it, such as those from the yolk and albumen.'' ``When we looked inside the shell... 'We were really surprised. We thought the contents would have leached out,' he told the BBC .
The Aylesbury eggs were also taken to the Natural History Museum in London , where Douglas Russell, senior curator of avian egg collections, and others were consulted on how to extract and preserve their contents without breaking the shells. . Russell told the BBC: ``This is the oldest unintentionally preserved bird egg I've ever seen.''
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