Scientists believe woman was writhing in agony at time of her death, fossilizing her pain for eternity

For nearly a century, she has haunted the halls of museums, her face frozen in what appears to be an eternal scream. Known simply as the “Screaming Mummy,” this ancient Egyptian woman has captivated the imaginations of archaeologists and the public alike. Now, thanks to cutting-edge technology and the detective work of modern scientists, we’re finally unraveling the mysteries of her life, death, and the meticulous care taken to preserve her for eternity.

Discovered in 1935 beneath the tomb of Senmut, the famed architect (and rumored lover) of Queen Hatshepsut, the Screaming Mummy was an enigma from the start. Found in a wooden coffin alongside two exquisite scarab rings, it wasn’t her jewelry that caught the eye of excavators, but her haunting, open-mouthed expression. For decades, theories about her idenтιтy and the cause of her apparent final cry have ranged from violent death to sloppy mummification. But now, a team led by Dr. Sahar Saleem of Cairo University has employed 21st-century science to peer into this 3,500-year-old mystery. Their findings are published in Frontiers in Medicine.

“Here we show that she was embalmed with costly, imported embalming material,” Dr. Saleem reveals in a statement. “This, and the mummy’s well-preserved appearance, contradicts the traditional belief that a failure to remove her inner organs implied poor mummification.”

This revelation turns our understanding of ancient Egyptian funerary practices on its head. Far from being a hastily or poorly prepared corpse, the Screaming Mummy received top-tier treatment, suggesting she was a person of considerable importance in her time.

Using a combination of CT scans, which allowed researchers to “virtually dissect” the mummy, and advanced chemical analysis techniques, Dr. Saleem and her colleague Dr. Samia El-Merghani have painted a vivid picture of this ancient woman’s life and death.

The mummy, they discovered, was about 48 years old when she died and stood around 5 feet tall in life. She suffered from mild arthritis and had lost several teeth before her death – possibly extracted, as the researchers note that “Dentistry had originated in ancient Egypt, with Hesy Re the first recorded physician and dentist in the world.”

But it’s the details of her mummification that truly astound. Her embalmers used juniper and frankincense, luxurious imported materials that speak to her high status. Even her wig, crafted from date palm fibers, was treated with exotic minerals to achieve the youthful black color prized by ancient Egyptians.

These findings don’t just tell us about one mummy; they open a window into the extensive trade networks and sophisticated chemical knowledge of the ancient world. Frankincense, for instance, had to be imported from as far away as East Africa or Southern Arabia.

Yet the central mystery remains: why does she appear to be screaming? With such careful preservation, it seems unlikely that embalmers simply forgot to close her mouth.

Dr. Saleem offers a chilling hypothesis: “The mummy’s screaming facial expression in this study could be read as a cadaveric spasm, implying that the woman died screaming from agony or pain.”

Cadaveric spasm, a rare form of muscular stiffening ᴀssociated with violent or highly emotional deaths, paints a dramatic picture of this woman’s final moments. Did she die in terror or agony, her last expression preserved for millennia?

While we may never know the exact circumstances of her death, this research has transformed the Screaming Mummy from a macabre curiosity into a “true ‘time capsule’ of the way that she died and was mummified,” as Dr. Saleem puts it.

As we continue to develop new technologies and refine our understanding of ancient cultures, who knows what other secrets may be revealed? The Screaming Mummy stands as a testament not only to the sophisticated practices of ancient Egyptians but also to the enduring power of scientific inquiry to bridge the vast gulfs of time and culture that separate us from our ancestors.

Paper Summary

Methodology

The researchers used a multi-faceted approach to study the mummy. They began with CT scans to examine the internal structures without causing damage. These scans allowed them to estimate the mummy’s age at death, ᴀssess her health, and examine the mummification techniques used. They also took small samples from the mummy’s skin, hair, and wig for further analysis. These samples were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to study their structure, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify organic compounds, and X-ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD) to analyze crystalline structures.

Results

The study revealed several key findings. CT scans estimated the mummy’s age at death to be about 48 years old and showed signs of mild arthritis and tooth loss. The mummy’s brain and internal organs were left in place, contrary to common mummification practices of the time. Chemical analysis identified expensive imported materials like juniper resin and frankincense used in the mummification process. The mummy’s wig was found to be made of date palm fibers treated with minerals to achieve a black color. These findings indicate a high-quality mummification process, challenging previous ᴀssumptions about the care taken with this particular mummy.

Limitations

While the study provides valuable insights, it has some limitations. The researchers could only take small samples from the mummy to avoid causing damage, which may limit the comprehensiveness of their chemical analyses. The study also relies on comparing the mummy to known practices and materials from the time period, which may not account for unique or localized variations in mummification techniques. Additionally, while the researchers propose cadaveric spasm as a possible explanation for the mummy’s open mouth, this cannot be definitively proven given the limitations of studying ancient remains.

Discussion and Takeaways

This study demonstrates the power of combining modern technology with traditional archaeological methods to gain new insights into ancient practices. The findings challenge previous ᴀssumptions about the quality of this mummy’s preservation and provide a more nuanced understanding of ancient Egyptian funerary practices. The discovery of imported materials in the mummification process highlights the extensive trade networks of ancient Egypt. The study also underscores the importance of appearance in ancient Egyptian culture, as evidenced by the carefully crafted and treated wig. Perhaps most importantly, this research humanizes the ancient remains, reminding us of the individual lives and deaths behind archaeological discoveries.

Funding and Disclosures

The study was conducted by researchers from Cairo University and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt. The authors declared that they received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article, and they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.