Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

CAFE SCIENTIFIQUE

Walking on eggshells: new research on birds eggs

John Stewart, BioArCh,University of York

People all over the world have been using eggs for a very long time, and there are a number of well-known stories and legends attached to eggs. Unfortunately, despite eggshell being a very common material at many sites, archaeologists know next to nothing about how most people in the past used this resource. This is because until recently we have lacked the scientific tools needed to identify it; now that these tools have been developed, we can begin to explore what eggshell can tell us about our past. We will discuss the science behind new developments in archaeological science, before exploring the latest research in this field; this will include Viking Age sites in York, coastal Iron and Viking Age sites in northern Scotland, and the world-famous site of Pompeii.