This information was reported by T4, reports URA-Inform.
However, returning to the mummy after more than a century, the authors of the new study performed a CT scan of the body to determine what exactly might have gone wrong. To their surprise, the scan revealed the presence of a second fetus in the woman's chest cavity, indicating that she was pregnant with twins.
Furthermore, the researchers noticed that the baby, placed between the woman's legs, was missing its head. Upon closer examination, they realized that the baby's head was still stuck in the mother's pelvis, leading them to suspect that the fetus had been decapitated during the birthing process.
As for the second fetus, the researchers suspect that the embalmers may not have known that the woman was pregnant with twins and therefore simply failed to remove it from her body before mummifying her. When the mummy's diaphragm dissolved, the unborn fetus could move from the mother's womb into the chest cavity.
«This examination of the mother and her children at the time of birth again confirms how dangerous pregnancy, labor and delivery were, especially during this time period», — write the researchers.
In particular, in ancient Egypt, the birth of twins was considered very undesirable and was often protected by spells and incantations.
Recall that it was previously reported that alien mummies were discovered in Egypt: what they look like (photo).