Egyptian mummy with screaming face baffles researchers

 

Cairo: Researchers have come to the conclusion that this woman, believed to have been buried around 3,500 years ago, may have died screaming in agony.

This mummy was found in 1935 in a wooden coffin under the tomb of a sculptor named Senmut. Senmut was a major architect during the reign of Egypt's female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. But she was not alone in that hut. Archaeologists discovered the burial chamber for Senmut's mother, Hat Nufar, and the burials of his relatives. Cairo University radiology professor Dr. Sahar Salim said.

It is concluded that the opening of the mouth may be due to a painful death or emotional stress. The embalmers could not keep their mouths shut. Sahar also said that 'mummification' was done before the body was preserved or decomposed, which is the reason why the mouth remained open even after death. The cause of the woman's death is also unclear. Sahar Saleem and co-author Dr. Samia El Merghani also examined the mummy using computerized tomography scanning technology and techniques including X-ray-diffraction in an article in the journal Frontiers in Medicine. Examination of the skin, hair and long black wig revealed that the mummy was well preserved. It was revealed that the woman would have been around 1.55 meters tall when alive, died at around 48 years old and had arthritis in her spine.