What Did Humans Eat 7000 Years Ago? Desert Hunger Solved by Excavation
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Ancient Ostrich Eggs Reveal Desert Nomads' 7000-Year-Old Diet in Negev
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News18•01-04-2026, 09:11
Ancient Ostrich Eggs Reveal Desert Nomads' 7000-Year-Old Diet in Negev
•Archaeologists in Israel's Negev Desert discovered eight rare ostrich eggs near an ancient hearth, dating back 4,000 to 7,500 years.
•The discovery suggests ancient hunters and nomads used these eggs for meals, indicating their skill in cooking thousands of years ago.
•Excavation director Lauren Davis noted the eggs were found alongside burnt stones, flint, stone tools, and pottery fragments at a nomadic campsite.
•One egg was found directly inside the hearth, confirming deliberate collection and cooking, with the shifting sand dunes preserving them remarkably well.
•Ostrich eggs, equivalent to 25 chicken eggs, were a superfood for nomads, also used as water containers or luxury items; ancient people likely stole eggs rather than hunting the birds.