Oldest cheese found in 3,200-year-old Egyptian tomb hides a dangerous secret

Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the oldest cheese ever found — dating back 3,200 years — in the tomb of an Egyptian mayor. But this ancient dairy delight comes with a deadly twist.

The cheese, found in the tomb of Ptahmes, a mayor of Memphis in ancient Egypt, was discovered during an excavation that began over a decade ago. Archaeologists from the University of Catania and the Cairo University in Egypt encountered a mysterious white substance inside a broken jar. Initially, they suspected it might be an ancient food item due to the jar’s covering of canvas fabric.

Further proteomic analysis made public in a new study out last month revealed that the substance was indeed a dairy product, made from a mixture of sheep, goat, and cow’s milk. The researchers concluded that the cheese was likely spreadable and highly perishable, similar to modern-day chevre but more acidic. However, it wasn’t only cheese they found.

Within this exciting ancient food discovery, there was evidence of potentially harmful bacteria.

An exciting find

Proteomic analysis employed by the researchers at Peking University in China allowed them to identify specific peptides within the ancient sample. These peptides pointed to the presence of milk proteins from sheep or goats and cows. The findings indicate that the cheese was likely a mix of different types of milk, which could suggest a complex dairy culture in ancient Egypt.

Previously, scientists traced milk proteins in the tooth tartar of a 3,200-year-old individual, showing that dairy was consumed at the time. And, in addition, whey and curd proteins were also recovered. This indicated that people didn’t solely drink the milk but may have also prepared it into cheese. The oldest direct evidence of cheese-making dates back to 5500 BC in Kujawy, Poland.

However, the discovery at Memphis is the most ancient archaeological solid residue of cheese ever identified. The tomb is located at the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo. After being first unearthed in 1885, the tomb was lost to shifting sands until it was rediscovered in 2010.

“The material analyzed is probably the most ancient archaeological solid residue of cheese ever found to date,” said Dr. Enrico Greco, from the University of Catania.

“We know it was made mostly from sheep’s and goat’s milk, but for me it’s really hard to imagine a specific flavor,” he added.

A dark secret

A more alarming find tempered the excitement of this discovery. The cheese contained traces of Brucella melitensis, a bacterium responsible for brucellosis. This disease can cause severe symptoms, including fever, arthritis, and fatigue. The presence of this pathogen underscores the potential dangers that ancient foods can harbor — a sobering reminder of the perils of historical culinary practices when people had no notion of microbes.

Brucellosis is a disease that still affects many parts of the world today. Its presence in this ancient cheese provides the earliest direct biomolecular evidence of the disease during the Pharaonic period. Previously, only indirect signs of brucellosis had been identified in Egyptian archaeological remains.

While the identification of Brucella melitensis in the cheese sample is compelling, the researchers caution that further studies are needed to confirm this finding conclusively. Nonetheless, this discovery highlights the potential of proteomic analysis in uncovering not just what people ate in the past, but also the diseases they encountered.