In 1881, archaeologists came across Deir El Bahri valley which hid the mummies of some of the greatest Egyptian pharaohs – Rameses the Great, Seti I and Tuthmosis III.
Five years later, they came across the mummy of a young man – his hands and feet bound, face contorted in extreme pain.
Named as the ‘Screaming Mummy’, this Egyptian corpse baffled scientists and discoverers for more than a century.
After 132 years, experts may have finally solved the mystery behind the ‘Screaming Mummy’, which is currently on display in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.
Based on DNA analysis, scientists now claim that the “Screaming Mummy” could be Prince Pentewere – son of a pharaoh Ramses III who ruled between 1186 BC and 1155 BC.
Furthermore, scientists claim, that the prince was likely hanged for plotting his father’s murder.
An ancient papyrus record from Egypt refers to a prince sentenced to be hanged to death for conspiring against his father. The marks around the neck of the screaming mummy appear to confirm this account.
In mummification, the internal organs of the corpse are removed, before embalming a body carefully in fine linen.
The ‘Screaming Mummy’ instead, was left out to dry and wrapped in sheepskin which was considered impure by ancient Egyptians.
Pentawere reportedly conspired with his mother Tiye, the second wife of Ramses III, to murder the king.
It is not clear if Ramses III was killed in the plot, but there are indications that he was stabbed in the neck.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo has put on display the “Screaming Mummy” of the son of a pharaoh who may have been hanged for plotting his father’s murder.
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