In 1935 they found in Deir el-Bahari, near Luxor, Egypt, a mummy that caught the attention of archaeologists: it was a woman who had remained with her face in a gesture of anguish, as if she were screaming. For decades, scientists could not find an explanation for this finding.
A recent study conducted by the Cairo University, led by radiology professor Sahar Saleem, used CT scans for a virtual dissection of the mummy. From the investigation, scientists suggest that the woman may have died experiencing a rare muscle phenomenon known as cadaveric spasm.
His body was embalmed about 3.500 years ago during the splendid period of the New Kingdom of Egypt, in which the preservation of the body after death was considered crucial to ensure a dignified existence in the afterlife.
Saleem explained that Egyptian embalmers strove to close the mouths of the deceased by tying the jaw to the head to prevent it from falling after death.
Although the identity of the woman could not be determined, the findings of gold and silver rings with scarabs indicate her high socioeconomic status and her probable closeness to the family of the high official under whose grave she was discovered.