A decorated egg from the Isis Tomb, Vulci, Italy. Credit: © Tamar Hodos, University of Bristol
(with the permission
Posted on 04/09/2020 9:45:53 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Long before Fabergé, ornate ostrich eggs were highly prized by the elites of Mediterranean civilisations during the Bronze and Iron Ages, but to date little has been known about the complex supply chain behind these luxury goods.
Examining ostrich eggs from the British Museum's collection, the team, led by Bristol's Dr. Tamar Hodos, were able to reveal secrets about their origin and how and where they were made. Using state-of-the-art scanning electron microscopy, Dr. Caroline Cartwright, Senior Scientist at the British Museum was able to investigate the eggs' chemical makeup to pinpoint their origins and study minute marks that reveal how they were made.
In the study, published today in the journal Antiquity, the researchers describe for the first time the surprisingly complex system behind ostrich egg production. This includes evidence about where the ostrich eggs were sourced, if the ostriches were captive or wild, and how the manufacture methods can be related to techniques and materials used by artisans in specific areas.
"Mediterranean ostriches were indigenous to the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. Using a variety of isotopic indicators, we were able to distinguish eggs laid in different climatic zones (cooler, wetter and hotter, drier). What was most surprising to us was that eggs from both zones were found at sites in the other zone, suggestive of more extensive trade routes."
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
I'm just guessing here, but follow me on this.....
I'm just guessing, but I'm gonna say that an ostrich laid them.
wear a mask when doing emu eggs, the dust is toxic.
You’re not afraid of going out on a limb.
Yes but who laid the ostrich?
Hmmmmm, smarty?
That's an interesting theory......
Ostriches don’t climb trees. :)
Thanks BenLurkin. Everybody knows about the bird...
I’m just guessing, but I’m gonna say that an ostrich laid them.
*******
What’s your degree? Where’d you graduate and do your post-grad work?
Where’s your research paper? You can’t just go around saying stuff like that without being a properly approved sciencian. You have to have qualifications for that opinion.
Seriously. You trying to screw up the grant gravy train?
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