The gruesome mummy of an unknown man known as the “Screaming Mummy” has puzzled scientists since its discovery in Egypt’s Deir El-Bahari in 1886.
Experts say the “Screaming Mummy” was preserved in a manner never seen before – his limbs were bound in leather, and the body wrapped in sheepskin, indicating it was considered to be ‘unclean.’
The mouth was left agape, appearing as if the mummy was screaming.
After years of speculation, scientists now say the remains belong to a man who tried (probably successfully) to murder his own father, Pharaoh Ramesses III, and was sentenced to death by hanging.
The mummy is now on public display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
“None has succeeded in knowing the story behind such a mummy until the launch of the Egyptian Mummy Project several years ago under my direction to create a complete database of forensic information related to the mummy collection at the Egyptian Museum,” Zahi Hawass, the former Minister of Antiquities who led the Egyptian Mummies Project, told Al-Ahram Weekly.
CT scans showed that his throat was slit and his big toe cut off, likely in an attack by multiple assailants.
While the papyrus suggests the conspirators were arrested, the events of the trial were not accounted for.
