Shell Shock

A perfectly preserved, 1,700-year-old egg foundina muddy field could help researchers crack the secrets of the Roman Empire

- ARISTOS GEORGIOU

WHAT IS THOUGHT TO BE THE world's oldest unintentionally preserved egg, discovered in a field in England, could explain how ancient Romans reared chickens and other birds.

The egg was originally found during excavations at a site known as Berryfields in Buckinghamshire.

During the dig, archaeologists uncovered a large, waterlogged pit or well dating between A.D. 270 and A.D. 300 during Britain's Roman period. Inside, researchers found pottery vessels, coins, leather shoes, animal bones, and a woven basket containing a cache of eggs, which were likely laid by chickens.

"In Britain, this was a unique find," Edward Biddulph, senior project manager with Oxford Archaeology (OA), a charity that was involved in the Berryfields excavations, told Newsweek.

"The pit had originally been used to extract water for malting and brewing. The eggs survived because they had been buried in a layer of soft, wet silt or mud, which had not only prevented the eggs from being crushed in the ground, but created anaerobic conditions, thus inhibiting the action of bacteria that might have caused the contents of the eggs to decay," he said. "Other organic objects, which normally would have decayed, were found with the eggs, including [the] basket.