Avvolto in una apportuna protezione di tela, ecco che il formaggino più stravecchio del mondo è comparso
da sotto la sabbia di una tomba egizia.
Secolo più, secolo meno, dovebbe avere tremila anni..
World's oldest cheese has been found inside an Egyptian tomb, proving that our beloved cheese has been
gloriously surviving the test of time for ages, NDTV says.
The tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of Memphis in Egypt during the 13th century BC, was initially unearthed in 1885.
After being lost under drifting sand, it was rediscovered in 2010, and archeologists found broken
jars at the site a few years later.
One of the jars contained a solidified whitish mass, as well as canvas fabric that might have
covered the jar or been used to preserve its contents.
After dissolving the sample, the researchers purified its protein constituents and analyzed them with
liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.
The peptides detected by these techniques show the sample was a dairy product made from milk.
The characteristics of the canvas fabric, which was suitable for containing a solid rather than a liquid
substance, supported the conclusion that the dairy product was a solid cheese.
The Tomb of Ptahmes is a sepulchre in the necropolis of Saqqara, Egypt.
Located on the side of the Pyramid of Unas, it was built in the 13th century BC during the 19th Dynasty
of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
The tomb is over 70 meters long and features several chapels.
Ptahmes
The hieroglyphs in the tomb state that Ptahmes held several important titles during the reign of Seti I,
which include mayor of Egypt's capital city Memphis, army chief,
overseer of the treasury and royal scribe under Seti I.
Under Seti I's son Ramesses II he was promoted to the office of High Priest of Amun at Karnak
( Gagrule )
The tomb belonged to Ptahmes, a high ranking official under pharaoh Seti I and his successor Ramesses II.
During the Christian period of Egypt some of its pillars were reused for churches.
Its walls were damaged when it was accessed in 1885.