2,100 year-old melon unearthed with its flesh amazingly preserved

Irani SenJun 2 2007

In the light of evolution, just imagine how a 2,100-year-old melon may look like. If you are still pondering on it, just look at the image above, and you can perhaps relate it to your imagination.

about 2100 years old 9

No, this is no artist's creation. It's a real find! Archaeologists have found these oldest remains of a melon, digging in western Japan. That this half-rounded piece of fruit is about 2,100 years old, is estimated on the basis of a radiocarbon analysis, a local official in the city of Moriyama said.

The oldest of a melon remains are surprisingly found with flesh still on the rind! Though, another such believed to be oldest find was spotted in China, it dates back to the fourth century A.D., making the recent find the oldest ever found melon remain.

The amazingly well-preserved melon might have been so because it was there in a wet layer below the ground, which creates an environment, hostile to microorganisms, in a vacuum-packed state. It might otherwise have been broken down the remains.

Digging out ancient melon seeds is nothing new or surprising for archaeologists, but, remains of melon flesh is a real rare and surprising find.

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