A screaming mummy can reveal terrible torments 2024-08-05 10:28:44

A fresh one in study the mummy of an Egyptian woman who died 3,500 years ago is being analysed, it says IFLScience. his deceased face is remarkably similar to the central figure in Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream.

Researchers have recently come to the conclusion that the characteristic grimace may not be the result of poor-quality embalming, but rather the result of the woman’s death.

The body discovered in 1935 was found in the tomb of a royal architect named Senmut in Dejr el-Bahari. The anonymous mummy was decorated with a black wig, the remains may date from the 15th century BC.

Egyptian mummies with open mouths are very rare, as embalmers often wrapped the skull to close the mouth. Another mummy, with a screaming expression on his face, is believed to have been deliberately disfigured after the man involved staged an assassination attempt on the pharaoh and was executed.

In the case of the Screaming Woman, experts have traditionally believed that improper mummification caused the grimace. This is supported by the fact that his brain, heart, liver and other organs were not removed.

Researchers recently examined the body using imaging methods and chemical analysis, and the results revealed that the remains were embalmed with expensive, imported materials. Dr. Szahar Szalimfrom Cairo University and a member of the team, says that this, along with the well-preserved appearance of the mummy, contradicts the theory of poor preservation.

The tests also revealed that the woman was 154 centimeters tall and died at the age of 48. His identity remains a mystery, but his hand was placed on his groin, indicating that he was not of royal descent.

The woman suffered from mild spinal arthritis, and sometime before her death she lost several teeth, presumably as a result of a dental procedure at the time. Her hair was dyed with henna and juniper, and her wig was treated with quartz, magnetite and albite crystals, giving it a blackish glow.

Experts believe that the distorted facial expression is the result of a cadaveric spasm that is characteristic of a violent or traumatic death. In such cases, the muscles of the jaw twitch, preserving the death scream of the deceased. The cause of his death has not yet been determined.

2024-08-05 10:28:44