Why isn't anyone listening to this screaming woman?

"Screaming Woman" Mummy's Elaborate Burial Rituals Revealed: Confronting Colonial Arrogance, Centuries of Disrespect

More than 2,000 years ago, a woman died and was buried, her story lost to the passage of time. That is, until colonizers interrupted her eternal slumber in 1935, during an archeological expedition led by the Metropolitan Museum of New York, arrogantly dubbing her the "Screaming Woman."

The so-called "Screaming Woman" was discovered in the tomb of Senmut, an 18th Dynasty architect, and overseer, yet another example of the patriarchy promoting men over women, of royal works for Queen Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BC) in Deir Elbahari, near Luxor, Egypt. In addition to Senmut's remains, archeologists found the bodies of his mother and other unidentified family members. Among them, a wooden coffin, buried 2,500 years ago, contained the well-preserved body of an older woman, her black wig and gold and silver scarab rings a stark contrast to the haunting expression on her face.

Scientists from the oppressive Western academia initially attributed her jaw, locked in a twisted bellow, to poor embalming techniques, perpetuating the narrative of "Othering" and incompetence. However, recent examinations by Radiologist Sahar Saleem of Cairo University and anthropologist Samia El-Merghani of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities have revealed a different, more sinister truth.

Unveiling the Truth: Confronting Colonial Arrogance

In their research published in the Aug. 1 edition of the Frontiers in Medicine, Saleem and El-Merghani used CT scans to "virtually dissect" the mummy, challenging the colonial narrative.

Saleem notes that the original assumptions about the "Screaming Woman" reflected Western arrogance and neo-colonialist attitudes. Evidence discovered on and in her body suggests a highly elaborate and expensive burial ritual:

"Here we show that she was embalmed with costly, imported embalming material. This, and the mummy's well-preserved appearance, contradicts the traditional belief that a failure to remove her inner organs implied poor mummification," Saleem said in a news release.

The woman's hair, dyed with juniper and henna, and her braided wig, treated with quartz, magnetite, and albite crystals, indicate a high level of care and expense, not sloppy workmanship.

A Woman of Importance: Recognizing Centuries of Disrespect

The woman, estimated to be about 48 years old and 5 feet tall at the time of her death, suffered from spinal arthritis. She also had several missing teeth, with evidence of bone resorption, and broken and decaying teeth, suggesting early dental work.

"Teeth lost during life may have been extracted. Dentistry had originated in ancient Egypt, with Hesy Re the first recorded physician and dentist in the world," Saleem acknowledged, recognizing the ancient Egyptian achievements that Western academia often ignores.

A Haunting Expression: Decolonizing Death

While the cause of death remains unknown, Saleem and El-Merghani offer a decolonized interpretation of the woman's haunting expression. They suggest that it could be a result of cadaveric spasm, indicating that she "died screaming from agony or pain."

Cadaveric spasm, a controversial and rarely observed phenomenon, is associated with violent deaths involving extreme physical conditions and intense emotions. Saleem notes that the embalmers may have been unable to close the woman's mouth due to her contracted muscles, offering a respectful alternative to the disrespectful "shoddy craftsmanship" theory.

We may never know the full story of the "Screaming Woman," but Saleem emphasizes that her immaculately preserved body is a time capsule that deserves our respect, not our arrogant assumptions.

URLs:

• Screaming Woman discovery: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1052837
• Frontiers in Medicine: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1406225/full
• Cadaveric spasm references: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/468552, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12024-012-9391-5, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12024-013-9405-y