The eight crushed eggs were discovered by archaeologists in fragments near the Egyptian border in the Negev desert.
The eggs were located near a hearth that was part of a camp site used by nomads “since prehistoric times,” said archaeologist Lauren Davis of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The proximity of the eggs to the fire — along with stones, flint, tools and pottery shards — indicates they were to be cooked, according to Davis.
She says that the eggs can provide clues to the life that people lived then.
— Although the nomads did not build permanent structures at this site, the findings allow us to feel their presence in the desert, says Lauren Davis.
Wild ostriches were present in the area until they died out in the 19th century, according to the Antiquities Authority.
Davis also emphasizes that the eggs have been preserved in an “extraordinary” way. They are now to be examined – something that should provide a more precise time determination of the site and its function.