Opened a 1,700-Year-Old Egg... "Egg White and Yolk Are Intact"

1700-Year-Old Egg Discovered in the UK
Preserved Mixture of Egg White and Yolk Inside

In the UK, an egg that is over 1,700 years old was discovered, and it has attracted academic attention due to the fact that liquid egg white and yolk have been preserved inside the egg.

The 'Aylesbury Egg' discovered in a well in South Aylesbury.
[Photo by Oxford University website]

On the 12th (local time), local media reported that the archaeology research team at the University of Oxford scanned the interior of a medieval egg using a 3D micro-computed tomography (CT) device and found liquid inside the egg, presumed to be a mixture of yolk and egg white.

Previously, in 2016, the University of Oxford discovered four eggs along with a woven wooden basket, leather shoes, and wooden bowls in a well in Aylesbury, southern England. At the time of discovery, three of the eggs were damaged and discarded, and only one egg that maintained its intact form was named the "Aylesbury Egg" and used for research.

The research team speculates that the egg was used as a kind of offering, and they believe that the well where the egg was found was a sacred place used for prayers or offerings in the late 3rd century AD. Accordingly, the team scanned the egg last year to decide on an exhibition method, and upon discovering the liquid inside, research has been ongoing for a long time to identify the nature of the liquid. The researchers stated that since the well was filled with water when the Aylesbury Egg was found, the contents appear to have been well preserved.

Archaeologist Dana Goodburn Brown described, "Being entrusted with analyzing this egg, considered one of the most challenging and special archaeological finds, is the greatest event in my 40-year career."

Local media described the Aylesbury Egg as the only "ancient Roman-era egg" preserved with liquid contents, interpreting it as an archaeological achievement that can provide information about ancient birds. The egg has now been moved to the Natural History Museum in London, and the exhibition plan is undecided for research purposes. The museum is devising a method to extract the mixture of egg white and yolk while preserving the egg’s original shape.