The little sarcophagus was intricately carved but in a severe state of decay, so archaeologists from the Fitzwilliam Museum only recently used imaging technology to peek inside. They assumed they were going to find embalmed organs from an adult, but instead, they found the carefully arranged remains of a miscarried child, somewhere between 16 and 18 weeks old. The little arms were crossed, and they say the coffin is a perfect miniature of other wooden coffins used between 664 and 525 B.C.
Julie Dawson of the Fitzwilliam Museum issued this statement: "This ground-breaking find educated us further still in our conception of just how precious the unborn child was in ancient Egyptian society. The care taken in the preparation of this burial clearly demonstrates the value placed on life even in the first weeks of its inception."
