Researchers uncover mystery "Screaming mummy" probably shows the last agony

What occupies people at the moment of their death? The "screaming mummy" looks as if it was in pain. Or was her expression only formed during embalming? Researchers examined the woman.

A mummy that looks like it is screaming could actually have screamed in pain before it died. At least this is the hypothesis put forward by Egyptian scientists after examining the mummy using several imaging techniques.

They suspect a cadaveric spasm that caused individual muscle parts to freeze. The study by Sahar Saleem from Cairo University and Samia El-Merghani from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has been published in the journal "Frontiers in Medicine".

Facial expression arouses researcher's curiosity

The mummy, which bears the designation CIT8, attracted particular attention in the past due to its special facial expression and wide open mouth.

In ancient Egypt, it was customary for embalmers to wrap the jawbone and skull of the deceased in order to keep the mouth closed. This was not the case with CIT8. This caught the researchers' attention, as an open mouth had previously only been found on two other mummies from ancient Egypt, explained study leader Saleem in a press release. She has also examined these.

Woman died at the age of 48

The female CIT8 mummy was discovered during an expedition by the Metropolitan Museum of New York in 1935 and 1936. She lay in a wooden coffin with the relatives of Senenmut, the architect and supervisor of royal works of Hatshepsut. It is said to be Princess Meritamun, who died of a heart attack, Saleem continued.

The professor of radiology set about examining CIT8 using various techniques such as computer tomography and infrared technology. The images revealed that it was a 1.54-meter-tall woman who died at the age of 48. She probably suffered from mild arthritis of the spine. She was missing several teeth, which she had probably already lost during her lifetime. The remaining teeth showed signs of wear, some were broken. Her hands were folded over her private parts.

Was the embalming carried out carelessly?

The woman wore a black "long hair wig" made of date palm fibers - a symbol of youth in ancient Egypt. In addition, the woman's natural hair had been dyed with henna and juniper.

Unlike usual, the internal organs of the examined mummy were not removed. The brain, diaphragm, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys and intestines are still in their original place.

The mummy was embalmed with high-quality materials such as frankincense resin, juniper resin and tea tree oil. The authors of the study conclude from the use of these precious substances that the embalming was not necessarily carried out carelessly - and that this is not the reason why the mouth is still open today.

Woman probably died an agonizing death

The researchers attribute the screaming facial expression to a cadaveric spasm: "It occurs after heavy physical or emotional activity and leads to immediate rigor mortis, as the contracted muscles become rigid immediately after death and cannot relax." This would mean "that the woman died screaming in agony or pain," says Saleem.