Egyptologists have long since poured over the myriad relics found across Egypt.
Ancient pieces of history have turned up all over, most notably along the banks of the river Nile in what is known as the Nile valley. One of the most famous names ancient Egypt produced is the fabled King Tutankhamun
His tomb was found in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, an area where for a period of nearly 500 years — from the 16th to 11th centuries BC — tombs were cut from rocks and excavated for the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom.
Archaeologists and explorers who later dug up these sites were offered countless treasures and secrets about the ancient world.
When King Tut’s tomb was found, a long list of objects was found alongside him, all thought to have been intended to help him in his journey through the afterlife — some 5,000 of them.
One finds, in particular, has shocked researchers for years, and was explored during the Smithsonian Channel’s documentary, ‘Secrets: Tut’s last mission’.
Within his tomb, “the mummified bodies of two baby girls” were discovered, perfectly preserved.
Their remains are conserved at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.
Later DNA analysis of the girls stunned researchers, after the results, suggested they were most likely Tutankhamun’s daughters.
Tragically, both had been stillborn, one girl at around four months, and the other at nearly full term.
Professor Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist at the American University in Cairo, said: “There was such a high mortality rate for infants and children in the ancient world that it’s not surprising.
“But it is extraordinary to have them carefully mummified, wrapped up, cocooned, put in these coffins and placed in their father’s tomb.”
As the documentary’s narrator noted: “The tiny mummies are an incredibly rare discovery.”
While many have been astounded by the remains, Egyptologist Dr Joyce Tyldesley believes there is an explanation for their burial alongside the pharaoh.