Archaeology helps people discover the mysteries of the past. The main work in the field of archaeology is to excavate and protect ancient sites and relics.
While excavating ancient tombs dating back hundreds, even thousands of years, archaeologists face many risks. Among them, many cultural relics will be destroyed to varying degrees, due to their age and the influence of the surrounding environment.
However, in the process of excavating ancient tombs, the thing that both tomb robbers and archaeologists fear the most is chicken eggs.
Chicken eggs are a familiar food in daily life. Illustration photo
In fact, in previous excavations, some archaeologists discovered chicken eggs in ancient tombs. The discovery of chicken eggs in ancient tombs initially made experts very happy because they could provide valuable information about the development of the ancient livestock industry.
Chicken eggs are an indispensable ingredient in every family today, and are also an important food source in daily meals. The nutritional value of chicken eggs is also very high and has a reasonable price for people's consumption.
However, in ancient times, chicken eggs were a luxury for many families. Even if they raised egg-laying chickens, poor families would choose to sell them. Therefore, chicken eggs rarely appeared in the graves of ordinary people.
Researchers say that in ancient times, only a few rich and powerful people used chicken eggs as burial objects when they died.
Therefore, during the excavation process, if chicken eggs are discovered in the relics, it proves that the identity of the tomb owner is also relatively prominent, even wealthy. If the tomb is not attacked by tomb robbers, it is very likely that experts will find valuable cultural relics in these tombs.
The process of excavating ancient tombs is often not easy.
In fact, the number of chicken eggs found in ancient tombs was not one or two. Instead, there were many eggs stored in a large jar or vase. Notably, this jar was sealed.
So, why are archaeologists scared when they find chicken eggs in ancient tombs?
It turns out that the archaeologists' fear stems from a real incident. Accordingly, Chinese archaeologists discovered for the first time chicken eggs buried in an ancient tomb from the Western Zhou Dynasty in Jiangsu Province (China). In addition to more than 300 cultural relics found, experts were extremely surprised to discover the egg jar.
This vase is more than 2,800 years old, meaning it is a priceless treasure.
Although ancient tombs often used protective measures and seals to prevent intrusion, after thousands of years, bacteria and air still penetrated the tomb.
The eggshell has long been calcified, and the yolk and egg white inside are also damaged. However, if there is no external force, the egg will temporarily retain its original shape.
However, at that time, an expert accidentally broke the egg by lightly touching it with his hand. Unexpectedly, the egg immediately shattered into pieces. This also caused irreparable damage to the thousand-year-old artifact.
In August 2015, archaeologists also found a jar of chicken eggs at a site in Guizhou. This time, the archaeologists learned from the previous incident. They used a soft-bristled brush to brush off the dust on the eggshell instead of touching it with their hands.
However, as soon as the brush passed over the egg, the shell cracked and spoiled right in front of the archaeologists.
Archaeologists were horrified when they found chicken eggs in ancient tombs.
Since then, if they discover chicken eggs in ancient tombs, archaeologists do not dare to touch them. Moreover, experts also have a lot of difficulty excavating these fragile artifacts intact.
On the other hand, when chicken eggs are broken in ancient tombs, they can also give off a foul smell, disrupt the stable environment in the tomb, making it impossible to continue excavation work, or causing artifacts and relics to no longer be intact.
Therefore, to ensure the safety of themselves and the artifacts, archaeologists will take the egg jars out of the coffin and soak them in a special solution to remove them from the ancient tomb. After that, these eggs will be carefully studied in the laboratory with X-rays.
Although it was scary to find chicken eggs in an ancient tomb, this was still a valuable clue that archaeologists might have discovered a tomb with many treasures and unusual artifacts.
(Source: Vietnamese Women)
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