Eggs Discovered in 2,500-Year-Old Tomb in China

NANJING, CHINA—Xinhua reports that a sealed pottery jar filled with eggs—all but one unbroken—was discovered in a 2,500-year-old tomb in east China’s Jiangsu Province. Archaeologists plan to use X-rays to determine how many of the delicate eggs are in the vessel. “The egg white and yolk have largely decomposed,” said Lin Liugen of Nanjing Museum’s Institute of Archaeology, “but via DNA tests we will be able to identify whether they were pickled.” The eggs may have been included in the tomb as a symbol of new life and plentiful offspring, or perhaps because the owner of the tomb just enjoyed eating them, Lin added. For more on archaeology in China, go to “Tomb from a Lost Tribe.”