Archaeologists discover a jar of ‘millennium eggs’ dating back 2,500 years

Archaeologists discover a jar of ‘millennium eggs’ dating back 2,500 years in an ancient tomb in China

A team of Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a large jar of eggs believed to have been buried in a tomb for about 2,500 years.
Around 20 eggs were found and their shells appeared greenish blue, according to experts.
They were kept in a clay jar with a closed lid when experts found them in an excavation site in eastern China’s Shangxing Town on Sunday, reported Yangzi Evening News.

Archaeologists discover a jar of ‘millennium eggs’ dating back 2,500 years in an ancient tomb in China

www.dailymail.co.uk
2 mins read
A team of Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a large jar of eggs believed to have been buried in a tomb for about 2,500 years.
Around 20 eggs were found and their shells appeared greenish blue, according to experts.
They were kept in a clay jar with a closed lid when experts found them in an excavation site in eastern China’s Shangxing Town on Sunday, reported Yangzi Evening News.

Archaeologists discover jar of eggs dating back 2,500 years

Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:00
Previous
Play
Skip
LIVE
Mute

00:00
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration Time 0:39
Fullscreen
Need Text
Video Quality
576p
540p
360p
270p

Foreground
Background
Window
Font Size
Text Edge Style
Font Family

MinimizeExpandClose

Copy link to paste in your message

Around 20 eggs (pictured) believed to be buried about 2,500 years ago have been found

Copy link to paste in your message

They were kept in a clay jar with a closed lid when experts found them in eastern China
Like a real-life echo to China’s controversial delicacy, the century eggs, these ancient eggs are said to date back more than two millennia to the country’s Spring and Autumn period (770-476BC).
Experts say the eggs are similar to modern-day free-range eggs in size.
They also suspect that the content inside the eggs is likely to have degraded over time, leaving only the shells which are formed largely by calcium.
In addition to the eggs, experts found a number of porcelain cups, pots, plates and other cookware in the same tomb near the city of Nanjing, one of China’s ancient capitals.
‘(The containers) were covered by mud, and the jar (with the eggs) were found above the mud. We opened the lid, and saw there were eggs,’ one of the archaeologists, named Zhou Hengming, told Nanjing-based Modern Express.

Copy link to paste in your message

Century eggs are regarded a delicacy in China, and now experts have found ‘millennium eggs’
The extraordinary findings were excavated from a multi-level ancient tomb complex, which is thought to belong to a clan and contains 38 tomb chambers.
There are a total of six layers in the tomb complex and the eggs were discovered in a chamber on the second to the lowest level.
The owner of the tomb chamber was thought to be an important figure in the family as a full set of cookware and dinnerware were found in the chamber, experts told Modern Express.
Experts believe that the family members of the tomb’s owner wouldn’t want him or her to starve in the afterlife, therefore they buried a large number of containers and plenty of food.
The eggs were discovered by archaeologists from the Nanjing Archaeological Institute and the Liyang Museum.
They are expected to undergo further lab tests.

Chinese archaeologists discovered 3.5 litres of liquid (left) in an ancient vessel (right) typically used to contain wine last September. Experts say the liquid dates back to West Han Dynasty
Last September, archaeologists in central China’s Luoyang claimed to have found a pot of wine from more than 2,000 years ago in an ancient tomb.
The tipple was unearthed inside a tomb thought to belong to a local official in the ancient capital of Luoyang in central China.
A total of 3.5 litres of liquid was discovered in a bronze vessel and it was thought to date back to China’s West Han Dynasty (202BC-8AD).

Around 20 eggs (pictured) believed to be buried about 2,500 years ago have been found

Around 20 eggs (pictured) believed to be buried about 2,500 years ago have been found

They were kept in a clay jar with a closed lid when experts found them in eastern China

They were kept in a clay jar with a closed lid when experts found them in eastern China
Like a real-life echo to China’s controversial delicacy, the century eggs, these ancient eggs are said to date back more than two millennia to the country’s Spring and Autumn period (770-476BC).
Experts say the eggs are similar to modern-day free-range eggs in size.
They also suspect that the content inside the eggs is likely to have degraded over time, leaving only the shells which are formed largely by calcium.
In addition to the eggs, experts found a number of porcelain cups, pots, plates and other cookware in the same tomb near the city of Nanjing, one of China’s ancient capitals.
‘(The containers) were covered by mud, and the jar (with the eggs) were found above the mud. We opened the lid, and saw there were eggs,’ one of the archaeologists, named Zhou Hengming, told Nanjing-based Modern Express.

Century eggs are regarded a delicacy in China, and now experts have found 'millennium eggs'

Century eggs are regarded a delicacy in China, and now experts have found ‘millennium eggs’
The extraordinary findings were excavated from a multi-level ancient tomb complex, which is thought to belong to a clan and contains 38 tomb chambers.
There are a total of six layers in the tomb complex and the eggs were discovered in a chamber on the second to the lowest level.
The owner of the tomb chamber was thought to be an important figure in the family as a full set of cookware and dinnerware were found in the chamber, experts told Modern Express.
Experts believe that the family members of the tomb’s owner wouldn’t want him or her to starve in the afterlife, therefore they buried a large number of containers and plenty of food.
The eggs were discovered by archaeologists from the Nanjing Archaeological Institute and the Liyang Museum.
They are expected to undergo further lab tests.

Chinese archaeologists have discovered 3.5 litres of liquid (pictured) in an ancient vessel typically used to contain wine The container was found in a tomb thought to belong to a local official from the West Han Dynasty

Chinese archaeologists discovered 3.5 litres of liquid (left) in an ancient vessel (right) typically used to contain wine last September. Experts say the liquid dates back to West Han Dynasty
Last September, archaeologists in central China’s Luoyang claimed to have found a pot of wine from more than 2,000 years ago in an ancient tomb.
The tipple was unearthed inside a tomb thought to belong to a local official in the ancient capital of Luoyang in central China.
A total of 3.5 litres of liquid was discovered in a bronze vessel and it was thought to date back to China’s West Han Dynasty (202BC-8AD).

Related Posts

Loose Women star Denise Welch’s three word warning after being scammed for thousands

Denise Welch has opened up about how she was scammed of thousands of pounds after making a huge error – and is warning others not to do…

Kym Marsh suffers another tragic family loss as she shares heartbreaking tribute

Actress Kym Marsh has revealed her family has suffered another devastating death as she paid an emotional tribute on her social media following the loss of her…

David Beckham makes big gesture on social media towards son Brooklyn amid rift

David Beckham showed his support for his eldest son Brooklyn Beckham on social media this week following rumours of a rift between some of the family in…

Clarkson’s Farm star Harriet Cowan claims she is ‘not making any money’ despite show

Harriet Cowan became a hit with Clarkson’s Farm viewers when she stepped in to help Jeremy Clarkson while Kaleb Cooper went away as she revealed the harsh…

Danniella Westbrook confesses her biggest regret as she looks back on her troubled past

Former EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook says she doesn’t have any career regrets, but drugs will “always” be her biggest regret, as she’s opened up about her past…

Alex Jones fights tears as her rarely-seen husband appears on The One Show

Alex Jones was brought to tears during tonight’s episode of The One Show as her rarely-seen husband Charlie made a surprise appearance as she celebrated 15 years…