89-Year-Old Mystery Solved as Scientists Uncover 'Screaming Woman' Mummy Embalmed with Teeth Bared

The mystery of the Egyptian “screaming woman” mummy discovered in the tomb of a royal architect in 1935 has a possible explanation after close to a century.

Knewz.com has learned that scientist , Sahar Saleem, from the University of Cairo now credits the bizarre grimace of the corpse to a cadaveric spasm.

Said cadaveric spasms – a stiffening of the muscles – however, are associated with violent and stressful deaths leading to the belief that the woman died painfully.

In the paper published by Saleem and her team, she noted :

“The Screaming Mummy of Cairo Egyptian-Museum Store is an anonymous woman with a wide-open mouth […], discovered beneath Theban Tomb 71 (TT71) which is the burial site of Senmut’s relatives.”

Senmut, the paper pointed out, was “the architect of 18th Dynasty Queen Hatshepsut” who lived between 1479–1458 BC.

The paper indicated that the foregoing study used computed tomography, scientific investigations, and archeological data to determine the circumstances leading to its physical appearance, health at the time of death, and the latter’s cause.

It estimated that the female was between 41 and 48 years old when she passed and based this determination on the state of a pelvic joint that erodes with age.

Her corpse was embalmed in frankincense and juniper resin, which were lavish, expensive substances that had to be imported at the time.

It was also noted that there were no signs of cutting on the body, indicating that none of the organs were removed—which was unusual, as embalming from that era normally entailed the removal of all organs except the heart.

Saleem confirmed the latter and explained that “the mummy’s well-preserved appearance contradicts the traditional belief that a failure to remove her inner organs implied poor mummification.”

She referred to other mummies like Prince Pentaware who had his throat slit after he assassinated his father Ramesses III who lived between 1185-1153 BC.

His body was barely embalmed which betrayed a dearth of care and thought going into the process which was likely a consequence of his crime .

Professionals from other fields of study like Randall Thompson, a cardiologist and professor of medicine , showed appreciation for the study’s findings.

He said, “their investigation helps us to understand what substances were available in ancient times and how our ancestors used them.”

“More broadly, we can learn much about health and disease from the study of ancient mummies .”

“For example, we have learned that heart disease is not new, as many people used to believe. It is older than Moses.”

The “screaming woman” who stood five feet tall, had a minor case of arthritis in her spine, and was missing some of her teeth, is believed to have died 3,500 years ago.

Saleem emphasized that her cause of death, which is believed to be connected to her facial expression, is inconclusive.

“The cause or true history or circumstances of the death of this woman are unknown, hence the cause of her screaming facial appearance cannot be established with certainty,” she warned, via CNN News .