Museum displays 3,000-year-old eggshells, one remaining whole Photo: Shangyou News

A social media user posted, "If you save eggshells for 3,000 years, they could be regarded as cultural relics," on November 1, featuring a picture taken at the Yu County Museum, North China's Hebei Province.

In the photo, one can see a small eggshell displayed inside a glass case. A label identifies it as an "egg" dating back to the Xia and Shang dynasties. 

This post attracted interest online, with some finding it amazing, that an eggshell could end up as a cultural relic after more than 3,000 years. 

Moreover, in the picture, there are fine cracks on the surface of the egg's light-yellow shell. 

Professional staff workers from the museum was reported telling the Shangyou News that in total three eggs were unearthed at the Zhuangke site in the Yu County, which were stored within a pottery jar. Over more than 3,000 years, the egg whites and yolks have long gone, two of the eggshells were damaged, and the other egg remains whole. 

The staff worker said that the eggs were believed to be part of the daily diet of the people at that time. Given they were discovered at an archeological site dating back to the Xia and Shang dynasties, they provide tangible evidence for studying the dietary habits and poultry-raising practices of that time. 

As for why such fragile eggshells have managed to survive to the present day, the staff worker explained that this is due to factors such as the environment in which they were buried and the conditions under which they have been well preserved.


Global Times