The circumstances of the fate of Pentawer a.k.a “The Screaming Mummy” are closely related to those of Pharoah Ramesses III, who himself died in brutal circumstances after around three decades as the supreme ruler of Egypt from around 1187 B.C. to 1156 B.C. Despite his enormous power as a demigod among his people, Ramesses’ long reign culminated in widespread disgruntlement among the populace as they were struck by economic struggles and food shortages.
With the pharaoh’s power draining away, one of his wives, Tiye, formed an audacious plan along with other members of Ramesses’ harem to murder her husband and install her son, Pentawer, in his place. Ramesses’ mummy, which is housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, is, on its surface, immaculate. For decades, experts could find no evidence that the “Harem Conspiracy” had succeeded in its murderous objectives. However, in 2012 it was discovered through a CT scan on a bandage that remained intact on Ramesses’ neck that it was hiding a previously unnoticed wound. Analysis suggested that Ramesses had been dealt a fatal knife blow, possibly from behind. A second injury, to his toe, led experts to conclude that he had been simultaneously attacked from the front. Nevertheless, it seems that although the assassins may have succeeded in Ramesses III, they were captured in the attempt, and made to face justice by his loyalists.
