Roman Era Eggs Found In Great Britain

Archaeologists Crack the Case of 1,700-Year-Old Roman Eggs

by Jason Daley/Smithsonian.com

When archaeologists excavated a 1,700-year-old settlement in central England, they got a literal whiff of the past after accidentally breaking open eggs dating back to the Roman occupation of Great Britain.

As the researchers report in a new monograph published by Oxford Archaeology, the team unearthed the chicken eggs at Berryfields—an ancient community located along a Roman road called Akeman Street—while conducting excavations between 2007 and 2016.

According to a press release, the eggs were among a trove of rare items recovered from a waterlogged pit. The gaping hole preserved organic items that would have otherwise deteriorated in the soil, including a rare wooden basket, leather shoes, and wooden vessels and tools.

Three of the four eggs were intact upon discovery, but two cracked during retrieval, releasing a pungent rotten egg smell. One of the fragile vessels emerged from the pit intact and is now being hailed as the only complete Roman egg ever found in Britain.

“There’s a very good reason it’s the first and only find in the U.K.,” dig project manager Stuart Foreman tells the Independent’s Chiara Giordano……

Read more:

Carol Duff, MSN, BA, RN

Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.

She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.

• Carol’s Archives 2009-2013