Scientists reveal new details about ‘screaming’ Egyptian mummy’s life and death

Katie Hunt, CNN

(CNN) — With her rima wide open, locked for eternity successful what appears to beryllium a scream, an ancient Egyptian female captured nan imagination of archaeologists who discovered her mummified remains successful 1935 successful a tomb adjacent Luxor.

Still fascinated by nan “screaming woman” who died immoderate 3,500 years ago, a different squad of scientists precocious used CT scans to uncover specifications astir nan mummy’s morphology, wellness conditions and preservation and employed infrared imaging and different precocious techniques to “virtually dissect” nan remains and understand what mightiness person caused her striking facial expression.

Their findings, published early this month in nan diary Frontiers successful Medicine, revealed that the female was 48 years aged erstwhile she died, based connected study of a pelvis associated that changes pinch age. Certain aspects of nan process utilized to mummify her stood out.

Her assemblage was embalmed pinch frankincense and juniper resin, lavish, costly substances that would person been traded from afar, said study writer Sahar Saleem, a professor of radiology astatine Kasr Al Ainy Hospital astatine Cairo University, successful a statement.

Saleem besides recovered nary incisions connected nan body, which was accordant pinch nan appraisal made during nan original find that nan brain, diaphragm, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys and intestines were still present.

The nonaccomplishment to region soul organs, nan study noted, was different because nan classical method of mummification from that play included nan removal of each specified organs isolated from nan heart.

The researchers recovered that nan anonymous female stood 1.54 meters, aliases a small much than 5 feet, gangly and suffered from mild arthritis of nan spine, pinch scans revealing bony spurs connected immoderate vertebrae that dress up nan backbone. Several teeth, apt mislaid earlier death, were besides missing from nan woman’s jaw.

CT scans, including of nan teeth (left) and brain, person revealed caller specifications astir nan mummy’s morphology, wellness conditions and preservation. | Sahar Saleem via CNN Newsource

However, nan study was not capable to find an nonstop origin of death.

“Here we show that she was embalmed pinch costly, imported embalming material,” Saleem said successful a news release.

“This, and nan mummy’s well-preserved appearance, contradicts nan accepted belief that a nonaccomplishment to region her soul organs implied mediocre mummification.”

Only a fewer ancient Egyptian mummies person been recovered pinch their mouths open, nan study noted, pinch embalmers typically wrapping nan jawbone and nan skull to support nan deceased’s rima shut.

What caused nan woman’s chilling look isn’t clear from nan study findings, though nan researchers put guardant a grisly hypothesis.

What mummification techniques reveal

Saleem said nan well-preserved quality of nan mummy, nan rarity and disbursal of nan embalming material, on pinch different funerary techniques specified arsenic nan usage of a wig made from a day thenar and rings placed connected nan body, seemed to norm retired a sloppy mummification process successful which embalmers neglected to adjacent her mouth.

The mummy’s “screaming facial expression” could beryllium publication arsenic a cadaveric spasm, a uncommon shape of muscular stiffening associated pinch convulsive deaths, implying that nan female died screaming from agony aliases pain, according to nan study.

It’s possible, nan study authors suggested, that she was mummified wrong 18 to 36 hours of decease earlier her assemblage relaxed aliases decomposed, frankincense preserving her unfastened rima position astatine death.

However, a mummy’s facial look does not needfully bespeak really a personification was emotion astatine death, nan study noted.

Several different factors, including nan decomposition process, nan complaint of desiccation, aliases drying out, and nan compressive unit of nan wrappings, could each impact a mummy’s facial expression.

“Burial procedures aliases post-mortem alterations mightiness person contributed to nan phenomena of mummies pinch screaming appearances,” nan authors noted successful nan study.

“The origin aliases existent history aliases circumstances of nan decease of this female are unknown, hence nan origin of her screaming facial quality cannot beryllium established pinch certainty,” Saleem said via email.

Open-mouthed mummies

The “screaming woman” had been buried beneath nan tomb of Senmut, an designer of nan temple of Egyptian queen Hatschepsut (1479–1458 BC) who held important positions during her reign. It’s thought nan female was related to Senmut, according to nan study.

The find of her remains occurred during an expedition led by nan Metropolitan Museum of Art successful New York City, and her coffin is connected show location today. Her mummified assemblage is stored astatine nan Cairo Egyptian Museum.

Saleem said she had antecedently studied 2 different open-mouthed mummies from ancient Egypt.

One, a mummy thought to beryllium nan remains of a prince known arsenic Pentawere, had his pharynx slit for his domiciled successful assassinating his father, Ramesses III (1185-1153 BC). His assemblage was hardly embalmed, indicating a deficiency of attraction successful nan mummification process, Saleem said successful nan news release.

The 2nd mummy was a female known arsenic Princess Meritamun, who died of a bosom attack, and Saleem’s study suggested her wide rima was owed to a postmortem contraction or activity of her jaw.

Randall Thompson, a cardiologist and professor of medicine astatine nan University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine, who has studied ancient mummies utilizing CT scans to study astir nan origins of cardiovascular disease, called nan study adjuvant and detailed. He said nan authors’ preferred mentation for nan mummy’s unfastened rima “made sense.”

“Their investigation helps america to understand what substances were disposable successful ancient times and really our ancestors utilized them,” said Thompson, who was not progressive successful nan study.

“More broadly, we tin study overmuch astir wellness and illness from nan study of ancient mummies,” he added.

“For example, we person learned that bosom illness is not new, arsenic galore group utilized to believe. It is virtually older than Moses.”