(NLDO) - The mummy of a screaming woman was found from the tomb of Semnut, a royal architect of the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
According to Science Alert , a research team led by radiologist Sahar Saleem of Cairo University and anthropologist Samia El-Merghani of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities conducted an autopsy on the "screaming woman" mummy to find out the truth about her.
The mummy, which dates back about 3,500 years, was buried in the tomb of Semnut, a royal architect of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
The mummy of a screaming woman and her face were recreated on the coffin. She was identified as a noblewoman, buried elaborately - Photo: family
It was a glorious dynasty of the ancient Egyptian Empire, ruled by Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who was hailed as the greatest female pharaoh, leaving behind many unique works for posterity.
The architect Semnut was buried in great luxury. His tomb, which included a separate room for his mother and other unidentified relatives, was discovered in 1935.
The screaming woman was among those relatives' mummies.
Her mummy was placed in a wooden coffin with two silver and gold rings carved with jasper scarab beetles, and her head was covered with an elaborately braided wig.
It was initially thought that she was not respected because only her heart was removed and placed in a jar, while the other organs were not, implying a poor embalming process.
The fact that the mummy's mouth was wide open also added to the suspicion, because according to standard procedure, those who handled the body should have bandaged the lower jaw of the deceased immediately after their death.
However, in new research, CT scanning and other highly detailed techniques such as electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that she was embalmed with expensive imported materials such as juniper and frankincense.
Beneath the wig - woven from date palm fibres - her natural hair was dyed with juniper and henna.
The wig itself has been treated with quartz, magnetite and albite crystals. This will harden the braids and dye them black to resemble real hair.
All of this suggests that she was buried in the best, most luxurious way possible, making the "forgotten" internal organs or open mouth even more puzzling.
Additionally, the woman's resting position is also strange. Her hands are placed on her pelvis, instead of the left hand placed across her chest and the right hand placed down by her side, as is common among royal women.
So what happened?
According to the authors, in rare cases, the muscles of a dying person can freeze and lock in place and remain that way until rigor mortis.
This phenomenon has been reported by modern medicine in exceptional cases of death, when the deceased ends his life suddenly in a state of extreme discomfort.
While this phenomenon remains controversial, it is the only plausible explanation for the screaming woman. It is clear that those who handled the body had tried but failed to carry out the usual embalming procedures.
The woman's true fate and how she died will probably never be known. However, new research allows us to speculate.
Dr. Saleem said she had previously studied two other open-mouth mummies from ancient Egypt.
Among them, a mummy is believed to be Prince Pentawere, whose throat was cut for assassinating his father, Pharaoh Ramesses III (1185-1153 BC).
The second mummy was a woman known as "Princess Meritamun", who died of a heart attack.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/quet-xac-uop-la-het-3500-tuoi-lo-su-that-kinh-hoang-19624080409522962.htm
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