News Desk
The Advocate Post: A virtual autopsy of a 3,500-year-old mummy, known as the ‘Screaming Woman,’ has revealed she died in excruciating pain, with her final scream frozen in place for millennia. Discovered in 1935 in Deir el-Bahari, near Luxor, Egypt, the mummy’s preservation is extraordinary.
The CT scan showed her organs were intact and well-preserved, an unusual finding as the typical mummification process in the New Kingdom (circa 1550 to 1070 B.C.) involved removing all organs except the heart. This suggests a unique embalming technique using expensive imported substances.
“Mummification in ancient Egypt is still full of secrets,” said study co-author Sahar Saleem, a mummy radiologist at Kasr Al Ainy Hospital of Cairo University. “This was a surprise to me, as intact organs usually indicate poor mummification, but the Screaming Woman was remarkably well preserved.”
Archaeologists unearthed the ‘Screaming Woman’ mummy, named for her gaping mouth, in a nearby burial chamber to Senenmut, a prominent architect and rumored secret lover of Queen Hatshepsut. It’s believed she was a close family member of Senenmut.
The researchers shared their findings in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, highlighting the mysterious and advanced preservation techniques used in ancient Egypt.
