Mystery of the Egyptian Screaming Woman mummy ‘who died wailing in pain 3,000 years ago’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An ancient Egyptian mummy who was found wearing a black wig and had a “screaming” face may have died wailing in pain around 3,000 years ago, scientists believe. open image in gallery This scan of the body shows her wig Prof Saleem said: “The mummy’s screaming facial expression in this study could be read as a cadaveric spasm, implying that the woman died screaming from agony or pain.” The Screaming Woman was found at an ancient site in Luxor beneath the tomb of a well-known architect known as Senmut, not far from where his mother, Hat-Nufer, was buried. open image in gallery The two scarab rings worn by the Screaming Woman mummy The Screaming Woman would have been around 5ft tall and died at the age of 48, researchers estimate. Prof Saleem said the findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, challenge the view that the Screaming Woman’s pained expression was a result of poor embalming.