Egyptian discoveries have always fascinated humankind, and when we think we have found the answers to speculated mysteries, the universe surprises us with more facts. For instance, the 3,500-year-old Egyptian mummy’s mystery behind her open mouth has been solved. She was basically a woman found with her mouth agape in a permanent scream, leaving historians puzzled.
Believed to have succumbed to death around 48 years old during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (1479–1458 BC), the figure earned the name ‘screaming mummy’ due to her scary expression. While historians tried to find out the cause behind the positioning of her mouth like that, in 1935, she was found by an archaeological team from the Metropolitan Museum of New York, leaving the people equally shocked.
As per the Irish Star, the initial assumption behind her shocking expression was that maybe it was the result of poor mummification, where the ones who buried her did not close her jaw properly (initially confused as his jaw properly), either due to inexperience or haste. However, the truth behind it has been finally revealed after years of speculations.
In a study published in Frontiers in Medicine, anthropologist Samia El-Merghani and radiologist Sahar Saleem propose that the woman likely died in extreme pain, possibly while screaming. The jaw remained wide open due to something called cadaveric spasm, which, in layperson’s terms, can be described as a condition where an intense form of muscle stiffness occurs at the time of death.
The real cause behind it remains unknown, but it’s mostly due to intense physical pressure, situations where a violent death has occurred, or simply feeling strong emotions before death. Therefore, anthropologist Samia El-Merghan claimed that the women must have been in ‘deep agony’ at the time of death.
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Saleem explained, “We suggest a painful death or severe emotional distress might have caused her open mouth. The cadaveric spasm likely preserved her final expression, and embalmers were unable to close her mouth before mummification.”
While many people argue that this shocking narrative might not be true, anthropologist Samia El-Merghani believed that women definitely defined an important era in history and said the significance of the find: “She is a genuine time capsule—offering us not only a glimpse of how she lived and died but also how she was honored in death.”
Meanwhile, through some further digging and a copy of the autopsy, it was found that the woman’s teeth and other organs were well preserved. At the time of death, she was a little above 5 feet and had signs of spinal arthritis. When the woman was found, she had a wig on, which was made of braided date palm threads infused with hints of juniper, frankincense, and a few other materials.
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As per the American Museum of Natural History, The practice of mummification was a central part of Egyptian culture for thousands of years; they were firm believers in meticulously transitioning a person as they reached the afterlife post-death.
The ancient Egyptians believed that a person would need all their body parts in the afterlife. Key organs—the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines—were removed, dried, and stored in special containers. Moreover, historians have also found several cemeteries of animal mummies that were bred in large numbers and were domesticated.
