Archaeologists from Britain have found what they believe is the only egg that “still retains its original contents,” per BBC.
In a statement to CNN, Douglas Russell from the Natural History Museum said, “This is the oldest unintentionally preserved avian egg I have ever seen.”
What made this egg unique to archaeologists?
According to BBC, the egg was found at a dig in Aylesbury, England. Archaeologists had found several eggs, but only this one had remained intact.
The Guardian reports that this egg was found in a basket along with pottery, shoes and animal bones.
According to CNN, archaeologists dated the pottery back to the third century, and estimated the egg’s age based off of that.
Edward Biddulph, a senior project manager from Oxford Archaeology, shared with CNN that the eggs were found in a pit once used for brewing until “the eggs had been left there as gifts to the gods once the pit had fallen into disuse.”
Archaeologists were able to figure out that the egg still retained its yolk and subsequent liquids when they conducted a micro-CT scan, per CNN. Normally with eggs like this, archaeologists only find egg shell pieces, per The Guardian.
Biddulph told BBC, “As we found out when we visited the Natural History Museum, (it) appears to be the oldest known example in the world.”
What other bird eggs have archaeologists found?
Back in 2023, archaeologists in Israel announced their finding of ostrich eggs that could be as old as 7,500 years old, per CNN.
The ostrich eggs were found at an old campsite used by ancient traveling nomads in Negev, Israel; the Israel Antiquities Authority shared with CNN that ostriches were once common in Israel until their extinction in the 19th century.
And in 2019, paleontologists found a fossilized bird from 110 million years ago with an egg still in its body, per Science.