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The Mystery of the ‘Screaming Woman’ Mummy

In 1935, while excavating a tomb near Luxor, Egypt, a team from the Metropolitan Museum of New York stumbled upon a perplexing find. They were investigating the burial site of Senenmut, the architect and overseer of royal works for the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, when they came across the burial chamber of Senmut’s mother. Within this space lay another mummy, a woman adorned with a black wig and scarab-shaped rings, whose wide-open mouth and expression led to her being dubbed the “Screaming Woman.”

Nearly 90 years after her unearthing and 3,500 years post-mortem, contemporary research has uncovered intriguing insights into her death and preservation. Scientists posit that the woman may have encountered a rare muscle reaction at the moment she died, resulting in her alarming facial expression. This could be attributed to either rigor mortis or a phenomenon known as cadaveric spasm, both of which can occur in response to extreme stress at death. These findings were published recently in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

According to Sahar Saleem, a co-author of the research and mummy radiologist at Cairo University, it is possible that the woman’s open mouth reflects the pain or distress she experienced during her death. Saleem notes that the embalmers likely struggled to close her mouth due to the rigidity caused by the cadaveric spasm, leading to her preserved expression. “Embalmers were unable to close the mouth and mummified the contracted body before it decomposed or relaxed,” Saleem explains in an interview.

Saleem and fellow researcher Samia El-Merghani conducted a “virtual dissection” of the Screaming Woman using advanced techniques such as CT scans and electron microscopy. Their study revealed that the woman stood just over five feet tall and exhibited signs of mild arthritis, suggesting she passed away around the age of 48. Interestingly, the mummy retained several internal organs, including her lungs, heart, and liver, without any visible incisions that would indicate their removal.

Surprisingly, during the New Kingdom era (circa 1550 to 1070 B.C.E.), it was customary to remove all internal organs except for the heart during mummification. Saleem expressed astonishment at this finding, stating that while some may interpret the intact organs as a sign of poor mummification practices, the high-quality materials used for her embalming contradict this notion. Her skin was treated with juniper and frankincense, and her hair was dyed with natural substances, while her wig was crafted from date-palm fibers treated with various crystals.

Saleem further stated, “Here we show that she was embalmed with costly, imported embalming material. This suggests a significant level of care in the mummification process contrary to assumptions about the failure to remove internal organs.” Despite the apparent attention to detail, the question remains: why was her mouth left open? Saleem speculates that it was likely an unavoidable consequence of rigor mortis.

Her striking facial expression could indicate a cadaveric spasm, possibly signaling that she died in great pain or distress. Randall Thompson, a cardiologist experienced in studying mummies, commented on the thoroughness of the study, affirming its coherence although the research did not ascertain a definitive cause of death. Some scholars, however, have expressed skepticism. Forensic pathologist Stuart Hamilton has remarked that convincing instances of cadaveric spasms are rare, and another archaeologist, Salima Ikram, noted that the months-long desiccation process should have granted the embalmers ample opportunity to position her facial features properly.

Despite these debates, the mummy of the Screaming Woman serves as a valuable repository of historical knowledge, illuminating aspects of her life, health, and final moments. Saleem concluded, “This type of study humanizes the mummy and allows us to see her as a person.”

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