AN ancient Egyptian mystery has been solved — after doctors in America carried out a full body scan on Bolton's 2,000-year-old child mummy.

Experts in the US have discovered that the child was younger than first thought when she died and they have also determined her cause of death as appendicitis.

Radiologists at the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital in Florida described the chance to study the mummy as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

When the artefact was first studied in 1975, Egyptologists believed the girl had died aged between four and nine — and said she had most likely suffered from tuberculosis.

But fresh tests on the mummy — which is part of a global tour of Bolton Museum's famous Egyptology collection — have found the girl was just two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half years old.

Physicians who reviewed her scans could even tell that her hair had likely been braided beneath her gilded mask.

Chief radiologist Dr Chad Kelman said: “She was incredibly well-preserved and we are looking forward to correcting some earlier findings we could only determine with such detailed CT scanning.

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The acclaimed "Quest for Immortality — The Hidden Treasure of Ancient Egypt" tour is now on show at South Florida Science Center in West Palm Beach.

The award winning touring exhibition travelled from the Far East to Florida earlier this year.

Bolton Museum's chief curator Dr Carolyn Routledge said: “I was very surprised and pleased by the results.

“It is really significant that we can see she was younger than previously suggested from the 1975 study.

“The new information conforms a lot better with the public reaction to the small size of the mummy.

“Also, I think everyone can relate to appendicitis and it is really interesting that this is what the doctors have suggested was the cause of death.

"We can still make close bonds to this girl and her family who lived more than 2,000 years ago.”

The exhibit experienced delays in Miami where the mummy was part of a shipment held up in customs because it contained ivory — which is prohibited in the US.

She was later transported from storage to the hospital where the tests were carried out.

The child mummy is one of more than 200 Egyptian artefacts on loan from Bolton Museum as part of Florida's "Afterlife — Tombs and Treasures of Ancient Egypt" exhibition.

She is believed to have lived in ancient Egypt during Cleopatra’s reign and was discovered in the Fayum province of Egypt near Illahun around 1888 by the “Father of Modern Egyptology” William Flinders Petrie.

According to Dr Routledge, she was selected to be a part of the exhibition to illustrate that the ancient Egyptians believed children had an opportunity for an afterlife, just like adults.

She said: “It is really rare to have such a wealthy burial for a child, so this mummy gives us insight into the ancient Egyptian attitudes toward their children that they valued them and saw them as equals to adults.

“Egyptians wanted their lives to continue after death, so they made elaborate preparations.

"The amazing bandaging and mask on this mummy shows this level of preparation. We have a few items related to the lives of children in the exhibition.

"One striking piece is an ancient Egyptian child’s tunic in bright red with colourful needle work. It shows the kind of clothing a girl like this one might have worn.”

Bolton Council's cabinet member for culture Cllr John Byrne said: "As well as being a fascinating exhibition for members of the public and reaching an audience that otherwise would never have the opportunity to see such artefacts outside of Egypt, it is also providing a rare opportunity for medical experts, scholars and Egyptologists alike to explore further the findings of 2,000 years ago.

"The latest discovery that our child mummy died of appendicitis instead of tuberculosis as first thought is a great revelation and will help us to understand more of ancient Egypt and how people lived and died during those times."