Ancient ostrich eggs found in Israel
Published: 03:01 PM,Jan 12,2023 | EDITED : 07:01 PM,Jan 12,2023
An excavator shows a fresh ostrich egg used for illustration next to older egg fragments dating over 4000 years old next to an ancient fire pit at a site in the dunes near Nitzana along the Israel-Egypt border in the western Negev desert on Thursday. — AFP
Tel Aviv: Eight ostrich eggs, some from 7,500 years ago, were discovered in Israel's Negev Desert, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.
Broken shells from the ancient eggs were found next to an ancient fireplace, the agency said.
The eggs are between 4,000 and 7,500 years old and are well preserved because their shells were covered by sand dunes for a long time,according to the authority's director. An extremely dry climate in the region also helped to preserve them, he added.
The discovery can help researchers learn a lot about the ancient nomadic life, the authority said. Ostriches were common in the region until their extinction in the wild in the 19th century.
Earlier finds indicated that ostrich eggs were used as luxury items, jewelry or water vessels and also as a food source, Amir Gorzalczany of the Antiquities Authority said.
'One ostrich egg has the nutritional value of about 25 normal chicken eggs,' he said. The eggs will now be put together 'like a jigsaw puzzle' and examined more closely in a laboratory, he said.
'As far as I'm concerned, every eggshell is worth its weight in gold,' excavation manager Lauren Davis said. — dpa
Broken shells from the ancient eggs were found next to an ancient fireplace, the agency said.
The eggs are between 4,000 and 7,500 years old and are well preserved because their shells were covered by sand dunes for a long time,according to the authority's director. An extremely dry climate in the region also helped to preserve them, he added.
The discovery can help researchers learn a lot about the ancient nomadic life, the authority said. Ostriches were common in the region until their extinction in the wild in the 19th century.
Earlier finds indicated that ostrich eggs were used as luxury items, jewelry or water vessels and also as a food source, Amir Gorzalczany of the Antiquities Authority said.
'One ostrich egg has the nutritional value of about 25 normal chicken eggs,' he said. The eggs will now be put together 'like a jigsaw puzzle' and examined more closely in a laboratory, he said.
'As far as I'm concerned, every eggshell is worth its weight in gold,' excavation manager Lauren Davis said. — dpa