© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New evidence suggests 'Screaming Woman' mummy died in pain

Photographs of the front and right profile of the head of the "Screaming Woman" mummy were taken in 1939 at the Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine in Cairo.
Saleem and El-Merghani
Photographs of the front and right profile of the head of the "Screaming Woman" mummy were taken in 1939 at the Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine in Cairo.

For nearly a century, the “Screaming Woman” mummy found in Luxor, Egypt, haunted viewers with her open-mouth facial expression. Now, new evidence by researchers in Egypt suggest more harrowing details.

On Friday, Cairo University radiologist Dr. Sahar Saleem and anthropologist Samia El-Merghan reported that the woman may have “died screaming from agony or pain.” The evidence was found using CT scans and other tools. The study was published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

The researchers added that the woman’s facial expression might have been caused by cadaveric spasm, which occurs during “severe physical or emotional activity.”

They also estimated that the woman died at 48 years old and was about 5-foot-1.

The findings were not definitive and the study emphasized that a mummy’s appearance could be affected by a range of factors, from the burial procedures to post-mortem alterations.

But it proved more plausible than the theory that embalmers simply neglected to properly wrap her mouth closed — which likely explained other ancient Egyptian mummies with open mouths.

But the researchers did not find evidence to suggest that the woman had a poor mummification process.

“The funerary techniques the embalmers employed on the corpse of mummy CIT8, including the use of a wig, rings, pricey imported embalming materials, and placing the mummy in a wooden coffin, [indicated] good mummification quality,” they wrote.

The mummy’s cause of death remains unknown. The “Screaming Woman” was discovered between 1935 and 1936 near the tomb of Senmut in Luxor and later stored at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. She was believed to be his relative, according to the study.

Senmut was an architect during the reign of ancient Egypt’s most powerful female leader, Queen Hatshepsut. Senmut’s final years also remain a mystery.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Corrected: August 3, 2024 at 12:01 PM EDT
A previous version of this story incorrectly said the evidence was found through digital unwrapping. In fact, the mummy was already unwrapped and scientists used CT scans and other tools to conduct their research.
Juliana Kim
Juliana Kim is a weekend reporter for Digital News, where she adds context to the news of the day and brings her enterprise skills to NPR's signature journalism.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content