Five digits on both hands and feet and the long bones of the legs and arms were all clearly visible. Pictured is the unborn baby's left tibia, which is just 1.6cm long

The ground-breaking results were based on their extensive knowledge of CT scanning imagery and paediatric autopsy.

Five digits on both hands and feet and the long bones of the legs and arms were all clearly visible.

Although the soft skull and pelvis were found to be collapsed experts agreed that a human foetus estimated to be of no more than eighteen weeks gestation was inside.

It was impossible to give a gender to the specimen and it is thought that the foetus was probably the result of a miscarriage, as there were no obvious abnormalities to explain why it could not have been carried to full-term.

From the micro CT scan it is noticeable that the foetus has its arms crossed over its chest.

This, coupled with the intricacy of the tiny coffin and its decoration, suggest the importance and time given to this burial in Egyptian society.

Very few other examples of burials of miscarried babies have so far been identified from ancient Egypt.

The miniature coffin is currently on display as part of the exhibition Death on the Nile: Uncovering the Afterlife of ancient Egypt until May 22, 2016 at the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge.

It was decided to micro CT scan the tiny bundle at Cambridge University's Department of Zoology. The cross-sectional images this produced gave the first pictures of the remains of a tiny human body held within the wrappings, which remain undisturbed.