Two brother mummies with same mother, different fathers unearthed
New Delhi : Call it an ancient scandal or gender equality; two brother mummies have been unearthed with a fact that they had same mother but different fathers.
A team of researchers revealed that the two mummies displayed at Manchester University are just half-brothers.
The findings have been backed with the results of their DNA tests which prove that the two mummies are related to each other.
The two mummies of Khnum-nakht and Nakht-ankh were discovered way back in 1907; since then there have been a lot of discussions over their relation and history.
A new study in the Journal of Archaeological Science seems to show that neither of the two theories was entirely accurate. DNA testing has now revealed that while Khnum-nakht and Nakht-ankh indeed had the same mother, their Y chromosome sequences showed that they very likely had different fathers.
Though it is difficult to give any substantial comment on the social nature of society, it had been revealed earlier that Egyptian women used to enjoy same rights as men. Women had the rights to have their own properties, adopt children under their own names, bring legal action to court, marry whoever they wished, and even get a divorce.
Basically, ancient Egyptian women had rights and greater social standing better than women from other cultures at the time.
"All landed property descended in the female line, from mother to daughter, on the assumption, perhaps, that maternity is a matter of fact, paternity a matter of opinion," Watterson states.
