Spectacularly preserved Roman-age egg still has its yolk and whites (2024)

Spectacularly preserved Roman-age egg still has its yolk and whites (1)

A three-dimensional scan of a 1,700-year-old egg discovered at a Roman site in England reveals that, eggs-traordinarily, it still has the remains of a yolk and egg white inside.

It's thought to be the only time a centuries-old chicken egg found with its insides preserved.

"We were absolutely blown away when we saw the contents in there, as we might have expected them to have leached out," Edward Biddulph, a senior project manager at the private company Oxford Archaeology, told BBC News.

Related: 6 incredible egg facts, just in time for Easter

The egg was one of four found several years ago during an archaeological excavation of a Roman-era site in the central English town of Aylesbury, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of Oxford. Three of the fragile eggs fractured as they were unearthed, releasing a "potent stench," but the fourth remained intact.

Now, the surviving egg has been scanned at the University of Kent with microscopic computed tomography (micro-CT), in which many X-ray scans are compiled digitally to make a virtual 3D model. "It produced an amazing image that indicated that the egg, apart from being intact — which is incredible enough — also retained its liquid inside, presumably deriving from the yolk, albumen etc," as well as an air bubble, Biddulph said.

Roman eggs

The eggs were found in a waterlogged pit at the Aylesbury site, which was being excavated by Oxford Archaeology ahead of a housing development. The archaeologists found evidence of habitation there dating back to the Neolithic period, and the pit dated from the third century A.D., when England was a part of the Roman Empire.

According to a statement from Oxford Archaeology, the pit was first used for malting grain and brewing ale, but it was later filled with water and became a place where passersby could throw in coins and other items as offerings to the gods for good luck.

Organic objects usually rot away when exposed to oxygen, but here many were preserved by the waterlogged soil. As well as the eggs, which seem to have been an offering of some sort, the pit contained a wooden basket, leather shoes, and wooden vessels and tools.

Although Roman-era eggshells have been found before — often in graves, where eggs were thought to be suitable offerings — this seems to be the first time a complete Roman-era egg has been found in Britain. The only other Roman-era egg to survive intact was found in the hand of a dead infant buried near the Vatican, according to The History Blog. But it contained no liquids; archaeologists think it represented rebirth after the premature death of the baby.

The Oxford Archaeology statement noted that the Romans often ascribed symbolic meanings to eggs; they were associated with the gods Mithras and Mercury and had connotations of fertility and rebirth.

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The intact egg from Aylesbury was taken to the Natural History Museum in London, where experts were consulted about how to conserve it without breaking it. Senior bird curator Douglas Russell told BBC News that the museum had a collection of mummified bird eggs excavated from the catacombs of sacred animals in Egypt that might be older.

"However, this is the oldest unintentionally preserved avian egg I have ever seen," he said. "That makes it fascinating."

The egg is now back at a museum in Aylesbury, where archaeologists are trying to work out how to extract the contents without breaking the shell.

Tom Metcalfe

Live Science Contributor

Tom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor who is based in London in the United Kingdom. Tom writes mainly about science, space, archaeology, the Earth and the oceans. He has also written for the BBC, NBC News, National Geographic, Scientific American, Air & Space, and many others.

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Spectacularly preserved Roman-age egg still has its yolk and whites (2024)

FAQs

Spectacularly preserved Roman-age egg still has its yolk and whites? ›

A three-dimensional scan of a 1,700-year-old egg discovered at a Roman site in England reveals that, eggs-traordinarily, it still has the remains of a yolk and egg white inside. It's thought to be the only time a centuries-old chicken egg found with its insides preserved.

Is the egg from Roman times found in England still contains liquid? ›

The egg was discovered in Aylesbury, UK. Researchers have cracked one of the mysteries hidden within a Roman egg, discovering that it still contains its liquid almost two millennia after it was first laid.

What is a Roman egg? ›

This egg was cast into a watery pit 1,700 years ago - possibly as part of a Roman funeral rite. The only intact chicken's egg found from Roman Britain is now thought to be the only one of its type in the world - after scientists found it still had liquid inside.

How old are the Roman eggs? ›

A nearly two millenia old Roman egg found in 2010 was discovered to still contain liquid inside it. Some 1,700-year-old speckled chicken eggs were discovered in a Roman pit dug up in Buckinghamshire in England but even more interestingly, a scan revealed that one of the eggs still has liquid inside it.

What happens to the yolk of an egg as it ages? ›

A fresh egg will have two distinct types of white, a gelatinous one around a firm yolk and a more liquid one surrounding it. As the egg ages the white all starts to merge into a more liquid state, and the yolk becomes more and more fragile.

Did archaeologists found an ancient Roman egg and the original liquid was amazingly inside? ›

An archaeological excavation in Britain unearthed the only intact chicken egg from Roman Britain, believed to be 1,700 years old. The “genuinely unique discovery” still contains the yolk and egg white. Finding an intact egg that old is rare in and of itself, but seeing liquid inside is astounding.

What does the Roman egg mean? ›

The Oxford Archaeology statement noted that the Romans often ascribed symbolic meanings to eggs; they were associated with the gods Mithras and Mercury and had connotations of fertility and rebirth.

Why is it called a devil egg? ›

In the 19th century, the adjective "deviled" came to be used most often with spicy or zesty food, including eggs prepared with mustard, pepper, or other ingredients stuffed in the yolk cavity. Similar uses of "devil" for spiced foods include deviled ham and fra diavolo sauce (from the Italian word for "devil").

What are eggs with no runny yolk called? ›

Sunny side up: The egg is fried with the yolk up and is not flipped. Over easy: The egg is flipped and the yolk is still runny. Over medium: The egg is flipped and the yolk is only slightly runny. Over well: The egg is flipped and the yolk is cooked hard.

Did Romans eat scrambled eggs? ›

Scrambled eggs have been around as early as the 14th century. [1] Although they were first enjoyed for lunch and dinner by the Ancient Romans, today it is one of the most, if not the most common breakfast foods in our culture.

Did Romans eat boiled eggs? ›

NOVA Online | Secrets of Lost Empires | Roman Bath | Real Roman Recipes | Boiled Eggs with Pine Nut Sauce. Perhaps the most popular of all the Roman appetizers was the egg.

Are 1000 year old eggs real? ›

Information. These Chinese eggs are not really 1,000 years old, but somewhere between a month and several years. The egg is not retained in its original state, but rather converted into an entirely different food, probably by bacterial action.

What is the oldest egg ever? ›

The oldest known dinosaur eggs and embryos are from Massospondylus, which lived during the Early Jurassic, about 190 million years ago.

Why does my stomach hurt after eating eggs? ›

If you feel like you always get sick with a rash or stomach pains after eating eggs, it's time to see an allergist. Egg allergy develops when the body's immune system becomes sensitized and overreacts to proteins in egg whites and/or yolks.

Is it safe to eat pale egg yolks? ›

"They're still safe to eat even though they aren't the color you're used to," says Breana Killeen, owner of Killeen Crossroads Farm and chicken farming advocate. Although egg yolk color doesn't determine nutritional value, many people prefer dark-colored yolks over lighter-colored yolks due to perceived taste.

What color yolk is best? ›

Yolk color is the result of pigments in the chickens' feed. Dark and light yolks have the same nutrition. Ultimately, we get the biggest nutritional bang for our buck by eating the whole egg since all those nutrients work together in our bodies.

What is the oldest uncracked egg in the world? ›

The speckled egg, which is about 1,700 years old, was recently discovered by Oxford Archaeology during excavations near the town of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, UK. It was found alongside other eggs inside a woven basket in an area that is believed to have once been a Roman wishing well.

Was the 1700 year old egg found? ›

Between 2007 and 2016, archaeologists excavated an ancient Roman settlement called Berryfields in central England. According to Smithsonian, the findings included four chicken eggs preserved in a waterlogged pit for 1,700 years — some of which accidentally cracked open.

What is the 1700 Roman egg? ›

This is a story of an intact chicken egg, 1,700 years old and as far as we know the only one of it's kind in the world. It was found just outside Aylesbury, when the Berryfields estate was being built. Three were actually found, but they were incredibly fragile and only one survived the excavation intact.

What is the oldest egg found? ›

Scientists have pulled a 1,700-year-old egg from the ground at an archaeological dig, and found that it contains original the liquid and an air bubble inside, making it a unique find.

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