EGYPT, 1935. ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXCAVATING A tomb in the necropolis of Thebes make an unsettling discovery: the mummified remains of an elderly woman, her mouth locked open in a frightful rictus as if screaming in horror.
In a further mystery, recent scans of the "Screaming Woman" revealed that she still possessed her internal organs, most of which would ordinarily have been removed during the embalming process.
If the woman had been mummified poorly, it was initially reasoned, this might explain her horrific expression, with the embalmers having simply neglected to close her mouth prior to her burial some 3,500 years ago.
However, an investigation by researchers from Cairo University and Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has made a case for the awful alternative-the poor woman did indeed die screaming in sheer agony.
"Here we show that she was embalmed with costly, imported embalming material," said paper author and radiologist professor Sahar Saleem, of Cairo University's Kasr AI Ainy Hospital, in a statement.
She continued: "This, and the mummy's well-preserved appearance, contradicts the traditional belief that a failure to remove her inner organs implied poor mummification."
In the study, Saleem took CT scans to allow her to virtually dissect the Screaming Woman and study her condition and state of preservation in fresh detail.
She also studied the materials used in the embalming process using such advanced techniques as scanning electron microscopy in which a surface is probed using a beam of electrons to create a high-resolution image and X-ray diffraction analysis, a non-destructive method that can reveal the chemical composition of a target object. The researchers' analysis of the previously unwrapped mummy revealed that it bore no embalming incision, consistent with how its internal organs (including the brain, lungs and liver) had been left in place.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Zachary Quinto
ZACHARY QUINTO HAS PLAYED DOCTORS BEFORE, BUT HE'S \"NEVER PLAYED a doctor like\" the one he plays on NBC's Brilliant Minds (September 23).
Adam Brody
NETFLIX KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT MILLENNIALS want, and it's to see Adam Brody and Kristen Bell fall in love.
Partners in Crime
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt shares his delight at teaming up with Shailene Woodley again in new Amazon Prime movie Killer Heat
HOW TO FIND A WORKPLACE THAT LOVES YOU BACK
Insights from America's Top Most Loved Workplaces
MOST LOVED WORKPLACES 2024
AT A TIME WHEN WORKERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO redefine what they expect from their jobs, the companies on Newsweek's annual list of the Most Loved Workplaces in America are setting the standard for what a fulfilling workplace looks like.
Q&A LEE YARON
With 10/7, the professional became profoundly personal.
SDEROT INTERSECTION
How Jewish and Arab strangers united to rescue two little girls amidst Hamas' October 7 attack
No End in Sight
AS TENSIONS CONTINUE TO FLARE AT ISRAEL'S BORDERS, NEWSWEEK DISCOVERS HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED IN THE REGION A YEAR ON FROM THE OCTOBER 7 HAMAS ATTACKS
Thai Scammers Set Sights on US
Newsweek looks inside the Southeast Asian country's $2 billion cybercrime industry and how American citizens are now falling prey to sophisticated schemes run overseas
PARTING SHOT: Sarah Paulson
\"CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE AIR WAS JUST FILLED WITH DUST PARTICLES and you literally could not breathe?\" That's what Sarah Paulson is tackling in her new film Hold Your Breath (October 3).