A cache of ostrich eggs dated from approximately 7,000-years-ago was discovered at an archaeological site near Nitzana in southern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a Sunday social media post. 

The eggs were discovered near the remains of a campfire believed to have been used by prehistoric desert nomads who collected, cooked, and ate them at the site.

"The proximity of the eggs to the fire and the manner in which they were found indicate that this was not a natural dispersal, but a deliberate collection," IAA archaeologist and researcher of nomadic cultures in the Negev and Arava Lauren Davis said.  "One of the eggs was found right inside the hearth of the fire, a fact that strengthens the idea that they were used for food.”

Davis explained that these types of sites are often quickly covered by dunes and then exposed again over thousands of years as the sands shift in the wind.

"Sites of this type are quickly covered by dunes, and are exposed as the sands move over hundreds and thousands of years. This fact allowed for the exceptional preservation of the eggs, which are usually not preserved. Fortunately, the excavation provided us with a glimpse into the lives of the nomads who roamed here at that time."

Earlier this month, archaeologists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) discovered a 1,400-year-old church at Nitzana National Park on the Israel-Egypt border, dating to the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods (fifth to seventh century CE).

The church, located on the main road leading to Saint Catherine Monastery and Mount Sinai, is the sixth to be discovered at the site and served both residents of the ancient city of Nessana (Nitzana) as well as pilgrims arriving in the area.

Archaeologists also uncovered a large hospice and bathhouse complex, complete with marble-clad tubs, and several preserved mosaics were also found at the site.