Ancient Egyptian Cheese Found at Saqqara

🧀 Saqqara Tomb Reveals 3,200-Year-Old Cheese

A solid residue recovered from jars in the Saqqara tomb of Ptahmes proved to be roughly 3,200-year-old cheese, revealing both ancient Egyptian dairy craft and the foodborne risks of unpasteurized milk.

Some cheeses improve with age. Others become archaeological discoveries.

In 2018, researchers reported finding what may be the oldest known solid cheese inside jars from the tomb of Ptahmes, an important Egyptian official buried at Saqqara. The cheese was roughly 3,200 years old—impressive by any standard, though not quite as ancient as 2500 BC. That date would make it closer to 4,500 years old.

🔬 Milk Proteins Identify an Ancient Dairy Mixture

The discovery began with fragments of a pale, solidified substance found among the tomb’s burial goods. Scientists analyzed the material and identified milk proteins, concluding that it was likely cheese made from a mixture of cow, sheep, and goat milk. In other words, ancient Egyptians had already mastered the art of mixing things up on a cheese board.

The tomb itself had been discovered in the 19th century, but its contents were looted and lost. Later excavations uncovered the jars—and their remarkably durable dairy surprise. The cheese had survived millennia in a sealed container, though “aged” may be giving its flavor profile more credit than anyone can verify. No one has, understandably, volunteered to taste-test it.

🦠 Brucella Evidence Reveals a Serious Health Risk

There was another twist: researchers detected evidence of Brucella melitensis, a bacterium that can cause brucellosis. It may suggest the cheese was made from unpasteurized milk, which would have been common in the ancient world. The finding offers a glimpse not only of Egyptian food, but also of the health risks that could come with it.

So, was this cheese a snack for the afterlife, a prized food offering, or simply a jar that got left behind? We may never know. But the Saqqara find shows that cheese-making was already part of life in ancient Egypt—and that, with the right storage conditions, dairy can have a surprisingly long shelf life.

🏺 Ancient Cheese Illuminates Egyptian Food Culture

Just don’t confuse “historically significant” with “still good on crackers.”

🔗 Original Sources and Further Reading

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