As it turned out, all this time the find was practically under the noses of the researchers – in the tomb of the pharaoh himself.
Almost 100 years have passed since British archaeologists discovered the lost tomb of the famous ruler Tutankhamun. Searching the Valley of the Kings, where the great Egyptian pharaohs were buried, Howard Carter solved the age-old question of where the boy-king of ancient society lay and quenched the interest of many people, writes Express.
Since the initial discovery, several breakthroughs have been made in research into Tutankhamun’s tomb. Upon discovering Tutankhamen’s resting place, Carter discovered the mummified remains of two children, but at that time DNA identification technology did not exist, so the remains were safely hidden.
They were named 317a and 317b, and each had its own set of inner and outer mummy-shaped coffins, almost identical in design but differing in size.
In the course of their new study, scientists made a DNA analysis, which surprised them very much. As it turned out, these girls were most likely the daughters of Tutankhamen. Both were stillborn, one at the age of about 4 months, the second was almost full-term.
“In the ancient world, the mortality rate of infants and children was so high that it is not surprising. But the fact that they were carefully mummified, wrapped and placed in these coffins and placed in the tomb of their father, that’s what is unusual,” said Egyptologist Salima Ikram from American University in Cairo.
The fact that the bodies of the girls were buried with the pharaoh indicates that there is not only a practical reason for this, but also a ritual one.
Although scientists don’t yet know why the girls were buried next to Tutankhamun, Egyptologist Dr. Joyce Tyldesley said they were most likely some kind of “protector” of their father in the other world. The ancient Egyptians were interested in successfully entering the afterlife, and would not take only one thing with them to protect themselves along the way.
In the end, Tutankhamun was found buried with some 5,000 items, all of which were meant to accompany him to the afterlife, and each had some purpose or function.
“Tutankhamen was very rich, so he could easily afford a separate tomb for his daughters. Therefore, the fact that their bodies were buried with him indicates that there is not only a practical reason for this, but also a ritual one,” explained Tyldesley.
