TEL AVIV - Eight ostrich eggs, dating back to more than 4,500 years ago, have been found in an ancient fire pit buried in the dunes of the Negev desert in southern Israel, said the Israel Antiquities Authority. According to the authority, the eggs still need to be dated with precision and could be up to 7,500-years-old.
"We have found a camping site, stretching across some 200 square meters, used by nomads of the desert since prehistory", said Lauren Davis, director of excavation work. "Burned stones, flint and stone tools were discovered, along with pottery fragments. However, the truly special discovery was this collection of ostrich eggs".
"Although nomads did not build permanent facilities on this site - added Davis - the findings allow us to understand their presence in the desert. These camping grounds were quickly covered by dunes and were exhibited again with the movement of sand for hundreds and thousands of years". This, according to the archaeologist, is the reason for the "exceptional conservation of eggs that allows us to look into the lives of nomads who wandered across the desert in ancient times".
"The proximity of the eggs to the fire pit - stressed the researcher - indicates that it was not a casual discovery but an intentional collection of eggs. One of them was directly in the fire bit, which strengthens the conviction that they were used as food. Ostrich eggs were crushed but well preserved, although they were discovered in a superficial layer".
