Unbroken "thousand-year eggs" found in Chinese tomb
Researchers were refrained from touching the millennia-old eggs for fear of causing damage.
(Reuters) - A group of Chinese archaeologists on Sunday unearthed an ancient jar filled with eggs, with only one broken, from a 2,500-year-old tomb in east China s Jiangsu Province.
Researchers from Nanjing Museum s Institute of Archaeology said the pottery jar, sealed with a lid, was found in a large tomb in Shangxing Town of Liyang City in the province.
The researchers said there are about 20 eggs in the jar, and that they will use X-rays to confirm the exact number, as they refrained from touching the millennia-old eggs for fear of causing damage.
The egg white and yolk have largely decomposed, but via DNA tests the researchers will be able to identify whether they were pickled, according to the researchers.
"On that day, we unearthed a pottery jar -- one of the grave goods of the tomb owner. It is in high quality with exquisite ornamentations. After uncovering the lid, we found the eggs inside the jar," said Shi Jun, director of the Division of Cultural Relics under the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism of Liyang City.
In addition to the eggs, 48 cultural relics were also discovered in the tomb, and the researchers believe that the tomb owner is presumed to be from a noble family.
"The possession of eggs was a symbol of his identity, indicating that the tomb owner was a aristocrat at that time," said Shi.
It was not the first time eggs were found in ancient Chinese tombs, but the discovery of a jar of unbroken eggs is rare, as scientists say it is difficult for eggshells to remain intact for so long.
In 2015, archeologists in southwest China s Guizhou Province found an egg from a tomb dating back to more than 2,000 years ago, but the shell cracked upon the touch of the researchers cleaning brush.
