The cause could be cadaveric spasm, muscle stiffness associated with violent death
Bruce Bauer
An ancient Egyptian mummy dubbed the “Screaming Woman” for what appears to be an open-mouthed expression of pain or fear may have had that expression in place thanks to a rare muscle reaction when she died.
The sudden stiffening of muscles associated with violent death during extreme physical and emotional stress, known as cadaveric spasm, may explain the soundless scream of this roughly 3,500-year-old mummy, researchers report Aug. 2 in Frontiers in Medicine .
The Screaming Woman’s cause of death remains undetermined, so cadaver spasm cannot be confirmed as the cause of her disturbing appearance. But new evidence of the care and expense involved in preparing this woman’s mummified body suggests that the embalmers didn’t just neglect to cover her mouth, say radiologist Sahar Salem of Cairo University and anthropologist Samia El-Merghani, mummy conservator at Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Cairo.
Excavations in 1935 and 1936 found the mummy of an unnamed woman in a burial chamber for the relatives of Senmut, the architect during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut from 1479 to 1458 BC.
In a new study, computed tomography revealed that the woman’s internal organs were not removed, unlike typical Egyptian embalming methods. Microscopic and chemical analyzes by Salem and El-Merghani showed that imported juniper resin and frankincense applied to the skin kept the body well preserved.
The study shows that the woman’s natural hair was dyed with juniper resin and henna. The mummy also wore a braided wig made of date palm fibers that were fixed and dyed black with a mineral finish. Salim says that the color black symbolized youth among the ancient Egyptians.
