Archaeologists have uncovered the graves of four young children at an ancient site in Egypt.
The child burials were found during excavations at Gebel el-Silsila – once a quarry site during the Thutmosid period from 1493 BCE to 1401.
The children are all thought to be under the age of 10.
The find was announced last week by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Sweden’s Lund University.
Researchers said it gave new insight on the burial practices during the 18th century.
But the discovery of one child’s grave has baffled archaeologists.
While the first three children were buried in coffins with ancient treasures, a fourth child aged between five and eight, was “buried without care”.
The grave was covered in quarry spoil, and appeared to have no immediate relation to the others.
The child also showed more signs of injury, according to Live Science.
A number of other artefacts were also found during the search including amulets, bracelets and pottery.
While parts of the coffins remained preserved over the years, much of the material was destroyed by floods, insects, and other natural forces.
According to Dr Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, one of the burials contains the remains of a child aged just two years old at the time of death.
The toddler was found surrounded by rocks, with bits of the linen wrappings and organic material from the wooden coffin still remaining.
Most, however, had been eaten away by termites.
In the second grave, they discovered the body of a child aged between six and nine years old, buried with several burial goods.
The child was also buried with jewellery – four scarabs attached to the left wrist, and an amulet, likely displaced from its original spot by beetles.
The last grave, in which a child aged five to eight years old was buried, they found similar burial offerings.
According to the archaeologists, the body was wrapped in linen and laid on reed matting, alongside three scarabs – including one that contained a royal name from the dynasty – and a pottery item.
The researchers plan to conduct further studies on the burials to find out more about the bodies buried at the site, including additional insight on their health and overall well-being – and what may have led to their deaths.
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