Discovered in 1935 near the tomb of Senmut in Luxor, Egypt, the "Screaming Woman" mummy baffled researchers for a long time.

The 48-year-old woman was buried in a wooden coffin. She was well-preserved, and embalmed 3,500 years ago with expensive imported ingredients like juniper oil and frankincense resin.

According to a recent study, published in the journal Frontiers of Medicine, she may have died "screaming from agony." The researchers used CT scans and X-ray analysis.

Her mouth was stretched open, possibly due to cadaveric spasm, a rare form of muscular stiffening occurring at the moment of death, preserving the facial expression of agony.

The examination revealed she had mild arthritis, lost some teeth, and was 1.54m tall, with no signs of periodontal disease or cavities.

While the cause of death is inconclusive, theories include a heart attack, stroke, or excruciating pain, based on evidence of cardiovascular disease in mummies from that time period.

Sources: KPBS, CBS News, PopSci, Newsweek, Independent, CNN Español, Live Science, CNN, Sky News, NY Post, El Pais, Ars Technica, Science News, El Cordillerano, Daily News Egypt, Gizmodo, Alagoas 24 Horas, Times of India, La Voz, ABC News

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Egyptian antiquities officials on Saturday announced the discovery of at least 100 ancient coffins, some with mummies inside, and around 40 gilded statues in a vast Pharaonic necropolis south of Cairo.

Colorful, sealed sarcophagi and statues that were buried more than 2,500 years ago were displayed in a makeshift exhibit at the feet of the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.

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Archaeologists opened a coffin with a well-preserved mummy wrapped in cloth inside. They also carried out X‐raying visualizing the structures of the ancient mummy, showing how the body had been preserved.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told a news conference that the discovered items date back to the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt for some 300 years – from around 320 BCE to about 30 BCE, and the Late Period (664-332 BCE).

He said they would move the artifacts to at least three Cairo museums including the Grand Egyptian Museum that Egypt is building near the famed Giza Pyramids. He said they would announce another discovery at the Saqqara necropolis later this year.

The discovery at the famed necropolis is the latest in a series of archaeological finds in Egypt. Since September, antiquities authorities revealed at least 140 sealed sarcophagi, with mummies inside most of them, in the same area of Saqqara.

Egyptian archaeologists found other "shafts full of coffins, well-gilded, well-painted, well-decorated," Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters on Saturday.

The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis at Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.

Egypt frequently touts its archaeological discoveries in hopes of spurring a vital tourism industry that has been reeling from the political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The sector was also dealt a further blow this year by the coronavirus pandemic.

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The coffins were placed one on top of another in a burial shaft that is 11 meters (36 feet) deep. The dry conditions at the site kept the objects in good condition, and some even bear traces of the original pigments used to embellish them, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported this week.

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The burial shaft features three other niches that were sealed up, which could indicate the presence of additional ancient coffins, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled Al-Anani said.

شعور لا يقارن كلما تشهد كشف اثري جديد،
انتظروا الاعلان عن كشف اثري جديد بسقارة، شكرا لزملائي بالوزارة.
An indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery.
Stay tuned for the announcement of a new discovery in Saqqara
Thank you to my colleagues in the ministry pic.twitter.com/RpgK6TmREo

— Khaled El-Enany (@KhaledElEnany6) September 6, 2020

Archaeologists believe that Saqqara served as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, and that it was used for some 3,000 years.

Government officials and members of the upper ranks of ancient Egyptian society were buried at Saqqara, along with mummified animals and grave goods, but so were people from the lower classes.

Researchers have yet to discover who was buried in the newly-discovered coffins.

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A brief statement from the ministry says Tuesday says archaeologists found the coffins in the Asasif Necropolis. The necropolis, located in the ancient town of West Thebes, includes tombs dating back to the Middle, New Kingdom and the Late Periods (1994 BCE to 332 BCE).

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The intricately carved and painted 3,000-year-old coffins were closed with mummies inside and were in "a good condition of preservation, color and complete inscriptions," the officials said.

The coffins will undergo restoration before being moved to a showroom at the Grand Egyptian Museum, due to open next year next to the Giza pyramids, the ministry said.

Photos from the ministry show colored coffins with inscriptions and paintings. The ministry described it as one of the "biggest and most important" discoveries in recent years.

The discovery is the latest in a series of major finds of ancient relics that Egypt hopes will revive its tourism sector, which has been badly hit by political instability since the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

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