The Scream Preserved Through Millennia
The mummy of an ancient Egyptian woman still retains a pained expression of screaming after 3,500 years. This Egyptian woman died in such agony that her muscles instantly stiffened, “freezing” her final scream for millennia. Researchers have noted that this mummy, nicknamed “The Screaming Woman,” was preserved with luxurious imported compounds, and all internal organs were left inside her body, revealing a unique preservation method. This discovery was published on August 2nd in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.
Ancient Egyptian Mummification Still Holds Many Secrets
“Mummification in ancient Egypt still holds many secrets,” says Sahar Saleem, a co-author of the study and a radiologist at Kasr Al Ainy Hospital, Cairo University. Intact internal organs are usually a sign of a poorly or carelessly executed mummification process, but the Screaming Woman was exceptionally well-preserved. “This was surprising to me because the traditional mummification method during the New Kingdom era (1550 – 1070 BCE) involved removing all internal organs except the heart,” Saleem explained.
Archaeological Excavations and Findings
Archaeologists excavated the mummy of the Screaming Woman (named for her wide-open mouth) in 1935 at Deir el-Bahari, near Luxor, Egypt, while working on the tomb of Senenmut, an architect and prominent official rumored to be the lover of Queen Hatshepsut. The Screaming Woman was buried in a nearby tomb, likely a close family member of Senenmut, according to Saleem.
The mummy wore a black wig and two scarab rings. Her natural hair was dyed a deep reddish-brown and blue. Electron microscopy revealed the wig was made from date palm fibers. X-ray diffraction tests showed it contained a mix of quartz crystals, magnetite, and albite, likely used to stiffen the strands and create the black hair color. Wigs were commonly used for burial purposes and in daily life.
The Secret Behind the Mummy’s Preservation
The secret to the mummy’s well-preserved state lies in the luxurious embalming compounds, according to Saleem and her colleague Samia El-Merghani from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Using infrared spectroscopy, they detected traces of juniper resin and ambergris, expensive products that could be imported to Egypt from the eastern Mediterranean, East Africa, or Southern Arabia. The resin and ambergris prevented decay by bacteria and insects.
Other Cases of Screaming Mummies
This is not the only mummy found with a screaming expression. Prince Pentawere (1173 – 1155 BCE) and Princess Meritamun (1525 – 1504 BCE) were also excavated with their mouths wide open. “Mouth opening occurs when muscles relax during sleep or decompose after death. To close a deceased’s mouth, embalmers usually wrapped the lower jaw to the skull,” Saleem explains.
However, this case is different. The wide-open mouth resulted from a painful death. The facial expression of screaming in this study might be considered a sign of cadaveric spasm, meaning the woman died while screaming in pain. Cadaveric spasm occurs when muscles contract just before death, causing them to stiffen. This condition might occur in cases of death due to assault, suicide, or drowning. Unlike the causes of death for the other two mummies (Pentawere’s suicide and Meritamun’s heart attack), CT scans of the Screaming Woman did not reveal the cause of her death.
Insights from 2D and 3D Imaging
However, 2D and 3D images from the scans help to clarify her height, age, and health condition. The woman was about 1.5 meters tall. The alignment of her pelvis bones (which change with age) indicated she was around 48 years old at the time of death. The bones in her spine also showed she might have had mild arthritis. The woman had lost several teeth, possibly just before her death, as indicated by unhealed tooth sockets.
Saleem and her colleagues hope that advancements in scientific techniques will allow them to learn more about the mummy. The Screaming Woman is currently kept at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, while her coffin and rings are displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
