Why does the Egyptian Mummy have a screaming face? Experts reveal the reason

Almost a century later, experts have finally solved the terrible enigma of an ancient Egyptian mummy discovered with a screaming face.

The remains, known as "The Screaming Woman," were discovered in 1935 at Deir Elbahari, Egypt, within a tomb belonging to the family of a royal architect.

Why did the Mummy stand apart?

It was considered that careless mummification had accidentally left her lips wide open | Image: NDTV

What set her apart from traditional mummification, in which internal organs are removed, was that all of her organs remained inside her body, which perplexed the scientists. Initially, it was considered that careless mummification had accidentally left her lips wide open.

Also read: Scientists reconstruct face of 1,500-year-old Egyptian Mummy 'the Gilded Lady'

However, a fresh scientific examination has yielded a different result.

What do the experts have to say?

According to Sahar Saleem, a researcher at Cairo University, it is a cadaveric spasm | Image: Sahar Saleem

According to Sahar Saleem, a researcher at Cairo University, it is a cadaveric spasm, an uncommon type of muscular stiffening that happens at the time of death in violent or severely stressful deaths. It means she died while screaming in agony.

Saleem and her co-author, Dr Samia El-Merghani, describe in a journal article published in Frontiers in Medicine how they "virtually dissected" the mummies using computerized tomography (CT) scanning technology and X-ray diffraction analysis to study the skin, hair, and long black wig.

According to The Guardian, the team believes the mummy was well preserved and that the woman would have stood about 1.55 metres (just over 5 feet) tall when living.

When was the Mummy estimated to have died?

The CT scans revealed that she died at approximately 48 years old and had minor arthritis, notably in her spine. However, the researchers discovered no evidence of an embalming incision, and all of the organs were still inside the mummies.

Also read: Time travel? 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy's coffin has an image of Marge Simpson

"This was a surprise to me, as the classic method of mummification in the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC) included the removal of all organs except the heart," reported Saleem.

However, the cause of death is unknown, and the researchers point out that other specialists have suggested that a screaming expression could be due to burial techniques or modifications after death.

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