500 years on and eggs are still unbroken
Print Edition
Archeologists in southwest China鈥檚 Sichuan Province have found a jar of rice and unbroken eggs that date back more than 500 years.
The jar was discovered from a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) tomb in a park in the city of Guang鈥檃n, said Tang Yunmei, curator of the Guang鈥檃n City Museum. Its epitaph suggests the tomb belonged to Yang Ming, who died in 1501, and his two wives.
The eggs with intact shells were buried in the rice within the jar. Their number was yet to be verified, researchers said.
Tang said the stone tomb was well-sealed and had good anti-moisture and corrosion designs, including a 2-5 centimeter lime layer inside its wooden coffins. The jar of rice and eggs is also protected by a lid.
鈥淭he eggs are well-preserved thanks to the careful construction of the tomb, which creates a confined space with constant temperature and humidity,鈥 said the curator.
Discoveries of unbroken eggs from ancient tombs are extremely rare in China. In one of the few reported cases, archeologists in March unearthed a jar filled with eggs, with only one broken, from a 2,500-year-old tomb in east China鈥檚 Jiangsu Province.
In 2015, archeologists in southwest China鈥檚 Guizhou Province found an egg from a tomb dating back more than 2,000 years but the shell cracked upon the touch of the researchers鈥 cleaning brush.
Historians are still debating the cultural connotations of putting eggs in tombs. One theory is that it symbolizes continuity of life through numerous progeny, while others suspected that the tomb owners might just have enjoyed eating eggs when alive.
Tang said the newly found egg jar had been sealed for lab analysis using infrared rays, which is expected to verify their number and condition without causing damage.
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