Enduring Mystery of the Screaming Mummy: Abominable Crime and a Disgraced Prince—Part II
The devious plot of the secondary wife, Queen Tiye, to murder King Ramesses III came-a-cropper. In no time the conspirators, who included palace staff and her own son, were apprehended, interrogated and sentenced. Many of them were granted the opportunity to take their own lives – which they gladly embraced, choosing death over ignominy. Extant documents inform us that Prince Pentawer, one of the prime accused, was also extended this courtesy. The manner of his death remains unknown. But a mysterious and grotesque mummy – designated Unknown Man E – discovered by Émile Brugsch in the famed Deir el-Bahri cache led many to believe it was none other than the disgraced prince. If true, why was an abhorrent, fallen royal who had dared to assassinate a Pharaoh be buried in the company of illustrious rulers?
Bound Philistine prisoners of the confederation that comprised the Sea Peoples being paraded after their capture. Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. Medinet Habu. (Photo: Rémih CC BY-SA 3.0)
