Ancient 'Screaming' Mummy May Have Been ‘Suffering Before Death,’ Researchers Say, Debunking Original Theory

Researchers originally believed the mummified woman’s open mouth could have been the result of a “poor mummification” process

A new study suggests a famous screaming mummy from ancient Egypt may have died in agony.

The facial expression exuded by the Screaming Mummy of Cairo, also known as the “Screaming Woman,” could mean the woman was “suffering before death,” according to a new article published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

The mummified woman was discovered at Deir el-Bahari near Luxor in 1935, according to Reuters.

Originally, researchers believed the woman’s open mouth could have been a result of a “poor mummification” process.

But according to the new study, which utilized CT scans to gather new information, “tests revealed expensive imported embalming materials” were used on the woman’s body, debunking that original theory.

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Sahar Saleem, a radiology professor at Cairo University, told Reuters this new research opened the door to other explanations regarding the mummy’s open mouth.

Now, researchers believe the woman’s face may have become “fixed by cadaveric spasm,” which occurs when muscles become “stiff and rigid immediately after death,” according to a 2023 article published by the National Library of Medicine.

“That the woman died screaming from agony or pain,” Saleem said, “and that the muscles of the face contracted to preserve this appearance at the time of death due to cadaveric spasm.”

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But since experts are unfamiliar with the “history or circumstances” surrounding the woman’s death, Saleem said they cannot officially determine what caused her unique facial expression.

However, Saleem told Reuters that she does not think the woman to have been embalmed while still alive: “I don't believe that this is possible.”

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The “Screaming Woman” is believed to have been around 48 years old when she died, according to the study.

Her remains were “discovered beneath Theban Tomb 71,” where relatives of Senmut, a high-ranking official from the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, are buried.

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