"She Must Have Suffered Extreme Pain Before Death"…The Agony of an Egyptian Female Mummy

3500-Year-Old Mummy Analyzed Through CT Scans and More
"Seemed to Have Experienced Pain or Stress at Time of Death"

Research results have been released regarding an ancient Egyptian female mummy, whose expression reminiscent of Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" had long sparked curiosity. The research team speculated that the mummy's expression was likely due to a painful death or emotional stress.

On the 2nd (local time), The Guardian reported that a research team led by Sahar Salim, a professor in the Department of Radiology at Cairo University, analyzed a female mummy discovered in 1935 inside a wooden coffin beneath the tomb of Senenmut, an architect from the era of Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt's 18th Dynasty, using computed tomography (CT) and X-ray diffraction.

The research findings were published in the international academic journal Frontiers in Medicine.

At the time of the female mummy's discovery, tombs of Senenmut's mother and relatives were also found nearby. Because of this, it was presumed that this woman was also a member of Senenmut's family. Unlike mummies of the high social class from the same period, this mummy's internal organs had not been removed, and there were no signs of incisions for embalming.

Ancient Egyptian female mummy with a screaming expression
[Image source=Captured from Professor Sahar Salim's homepage]

However, the research team explained that she was buried wearing a scarab-shaped ring made of gold and silver, and expensive materials such as cedarwood and henna dye were used for embalming, indicating that she was also of the upper class.

Additionally, CT scans revealed that the woman was about 155 cm tall during her lifetime, suffered from mild arthritis in her spine and other joints, and died around the age of 48 approximately 3,500 years ago.

Above all, the female mummy attracted public curiosity due to her widely opened mouth and distorted face.

Professor Salim explained, "Those responsible for embalming were unable to close the mouth of the corpse, and mummification likely proceeded before the body decomposed or relaxed." She added that the woman may have experienced extreme pain or emotional stress at the time of death, and that immediate postmortem rigor mortis preserved the expression of that pain.

However, some researchers have disputed this hypothesis, arguing that "it is unlikely that the embalmers would have left this expression as is due to rigor mortis." Professor Salima Ikram of the American University in Cairo pointed out, "The drying process during mummification takes 40 days, during which there would have been ample time to rearrange the facial features."

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