Roughly 3,500 years ago, an ancient Egyptian woman died in so much pain that her screams of agony have been frozen in time.

Archaeologists discovered the woman’s mummified remains while excavating a tomb near Luxor in eastern Egypt in 1935. Her frightening facial expression with her mouth agape has haunted researchers ever since, earning her the nickname the “Screaming Woman.” But details about who the woman was and how she died have remained a mystery.

Now, nearly a century after the exhumation, researchers have a clearer picture of the woman and what the final moments of her life may have been like.

In 2024, researchers in Cairo conducted a computed tomography (CT) scans of the individual, who was wearing a black wig made of palm leaves and had two scarab rings on her fingers, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

The scans revealed that she was 48 years old when she died, she stood just over 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall, and she was missing several teeth. The well-preserved corpse also still contained her brain and other vital organs, including the heart and lungs.

The fact that she was buried with everything still intact caught researchers off guard, since these items were typically removed as part of the mummification process in the New Kingdom, which was a period in Egypt’s history that lasted from approximately 1550 to 1070 B.C.

“Unlike typical mummification practices of that time (New Kingdom), her body underwent a highly unusual embalming process,” lead researcher Sahar Saleem, a professor of radiology in the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University, says in an email. “CT scans showed no embalming incision, and, remarkably, the internal organs were not removed as all major organs—including the brain, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys—were preserved within the body, offering a glimpse into a unique mummification style.”

The imaging also showed that the woman had a mild form of arthritis in her spine, but researchers concluded that wouldn’t have been enough to cause a painful death like the one she appeared to experience.

Instead, her eerie expression may have been the result of “suffering before death” and caused what is known as a “cadaveric spasm,” according to the study.

“This is a type of rigor mortis that happens immediately after death, where muscles stiffen,” Saleem says. “This particular spasm can occur in cases of extreme physical or emotional distress. The position of her mouth suggests she may have died in agony, possibly while screaming either in pain or fear. The intense contraction of muscles during death may have left her mouth in a fixed open position.”

Typically, ancient Egyptian embalmers would have wrapped the deceased person’s mandible around the skull to ensure that the mouth stayed closed for preservation purposes, according to the study.

“A widely opened mouth in ancient Egyptian mummies is very rare to find,” Saleem says.

However, it’s not completely uncommon. In fact, Saleem has studied two different mummies, Prince Pentawer (also spelled Pentawere) of the 20th Dynasty, the son of the Pharoah Ramesses III, and Meritamen (also spelled Meritamun) of the 18th Dynasty, the wife and daughter of the Pharoah Ramesses the Great (also known as Ramesses II) and Queen Nefertiti, whose mummified remains both contained mouths wide open.

“[Pentawer’s] embalming was notably hastily done, with his mouth left open—likely a deliberate punishment,” Saleem says. “This incomplete embalming may have been intended to immortalize his agonized scream for eternity.”

In the case of Meritamen, her facial expression was “likely due to postmortem muscle contractions caused by rigor mortis following her death from a massive heart attack due to coronary atherosclerosis,” Saleem says.

Researchers think that the “Screaming Woman” may have experienced a similarly painful death but remain unclear of what it might have been. The CT scans “did not reveal any clear cause of death, such as wounds or injuries,” Saleem says.

However, researchers did determine that the mystery woman was likely someone of high status in ancient Egypt, based on her ornate burial.

“The mummified woman’s luxurious wig made of date palm fibers and her jasper rings indicate her high social standing and adherence to death rituals,” Saleem says. “Analysis revealed that her natural hair was carefully dyed with henna and juniper, showcasing sophisticated cosmetic treatments in ancient Egypt.”

Embalmers also used ingredients such as juniper resin and frankincense, both of which would have been imported into Egypt from other parts of the world, during the embalming process. These materials were prized not only for their cosmetic properties but also for being antibacterial and insecticidal.

Saleem says that her research offers “a unique glimpse into ancient Egyptian death rituals but also allows us to view the mummy as a human being, shedding light on how this individual lived and died.”

She adds, “By understanding the conditions she faced, such as arthritis and lost teeth, we can better appreciate the human side of mummies.”