Occasionally, a "royal Persian mummy" was found in the news, but it was later proved to be false. One of the most famous is "The Mummy of the Royal Princess", which is considered as the daughter of Xue Xisi. This mummy sold for about 1 1 ten thousand dollars on the black market! Of course, this "amazing discovery" of Tutankhamun, who is regarded as the Achaemenid Empire, almost triggered an international incident involving Iran, Pakistan and even Afghanistan. All this is more or less due to the curator of Karachi National Museum, where the "Royal Princess" was once held and stored. Asma Ibrahim was shocked by this discovery in this century. She thought she could read cuneiform. She personally engraved the inscription on the gold plaque of the mummy, ordered multiple CT scans and assisted in the autopsy. However, she forgot a key fact. There is no record or evidence that Achaemenid, who followed the early Zoroastrian beliefs, wanted or needed to be embalmed according to Egyptian rituals and customs. Herodotus was the only one who mentioned that ancient Persia might be embalmed. He mentioned that the Persians used wax to embalm the dead. Hdt 1. 140) In addition, the pencil marks around the wooden ornaments on the coffin should give her some clues. The 2600-year-old "Royal Princess" turned out to be a blonde. She died of a broken neck in A.D. 1996. The poor middle-aged woman was either robbed or murdered in the "mummy factory" between Iran and Pakistan.
After this disappointment, I met the "Iranian Salt Worker" and I was surprised. "Zanzhan Salt Man" was preserved by a very rare natural mummy, which happened in a salt mine.
1993, CE miners accidentally found a mummy's head in the Douzlakh salt mine near Hamzehli and Chehr Abad villages in Zanzhan province. The head is very well preserved, and gold earrings are hung in the ear holes. His hair, beard and beard are reddish, and his impressive leather boots are still holding some of his legs and feet.
Miras Farhangi (Zanzhan Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization) was called to the local Zanzhan branch. They carried out rescue excavation and found three iron knives, a pair of wool shorts, a silver needle, a sling, a leather rope, a millstone, some pottery fragments, patterned textile fragments, a few broken bones and even a walnut. He was found in the middle of a tunnel about 45 meters long.
The local Zanjan branch of Miras Farhangi believed that the mummy was discovered by an individual, so it did not investigate the mine further. However, in 2004, the miners discovered another "salt man" and once again convened the local Zanjan branch of Miras Farhangi. The team found more human remains and a large number of cultural relics, clothes and pottery made of wood and metal tools.
Miras-e-Farhangi realized that they might have stumbled upon a mine with a long history of use, and they finally joined forces in Qixin to start an archaeological investigation involving several international research organizations:
Ruhr University in Bochum
University? T Zurich, the center of evolution? re Medizin
Archaeology and art history laboratory, Oxford University.
York University Institute of Archaeology
Institute of Parasitology and Fungology, Tehran University
Zhanjiang University Geomorphology Institute
Franche Comte University College of Science and Technology
In 2005, a systematic excavation began, and three mummies were excavated. Due to the lack of storage funds, six mummies remain in place. The background of the remains shows that the collapse of the mine caused the death of the relevant miners.
The first mummy, named Zahrtmann, was exhibited at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. He still looks impressive. I just hope he will do better.
This special "salt man" was originally determined according to archaeological materials discovered with him. Sobouti, an Iranian archaeologist who made the first rescue excavation, put forward the date of about 800 BC based on the clothes and accessories he found with him, which put him in the New Elam period (BC 1000-539). Later, after carbon dating, the mummy was placed in 500 AD (1750 BC, that is, "before" or 1750 years ago), which was the heyday of Sassanian Empire. The carbon age of the second "Salter" is 1554 BP, which makes him in the same era as the first "Salter", that is, the Sassanian era.
The third, fourth and fifth "salt man" also conducted carbon dating. The age and placing time of the third corpse is 2337 BC, the age of the fourth corpse is 230 1, and the age of the fifth mummy is 2286. They are all in the Achemane period.
However, the previous five people have increased to at least eight. Further anatomical analysis shows that the bones previously thought to belong to one person belong to several other people.
Isotopic analysis of human remains revealed where these miners came from. Some of them come from Tehran-Gatzwin Plain, which is relative to the location of the mine, some from northeastern Iran and coastal areas around the Caspian Sea, and some from distant Central Asia.
In addition, archaeological discoveries, such as animal bones found around salt workers, indicate that miners may have eaten sheep, goats, pigs and cattle. Recorded archaeological and botanical findings show that different cultivated plants were eaten, which indicates that there is an agricultural facility near the mine.
A large number of fabrics and other organic materials (leather) worn by salt workers enable us to make a thorough analysis, detailing the resources used to make fabrics, the processing process and the dyes used to color clothing fibers. In particular, they give a good overview of the changes of fabric types, weaving patterns and fibers over time.
All the data collected so far enable researchers to have the first comprehensive understanding of the mine and the miners who worked there during their use. Various artifacts and ecological facts found in the background of each stratum and era provide a concise background, thus revealing the differences between the two ancient mining stages.
In Achemenid stage, the mining area entered from a farther place, there were no settlements near the mining area, and the DNA of some salt mummies showed the existence of foreign miners. The supply of a large number of ceramic utensils and commodities also shows that it can enter from further places, while the Sassanian period shows that mining was established in the local landscape, and isotope data shows that the supply is organized on a regional basis.
This is also very interesting considering that there is no archaeological evidence of any form of mining settlement near the mine, which shows that mining is seasonal rather than highly organized. For example, comparing with the mining practice in contemporary Greece, this task is usually completed by slaves and is highly organized.
Individual "salt man" has some secrets. For example, the blood type of the first "salt man" was B+, and 3D imaging of his skull showed that there were fractures and other injuries around his eyes before his death. Blow it on your head His clothes (impressive leather boots) and his gold earrings show a person's status; The reason why he appeared in the mine is still a mystery. Was he murdered and dumped there, or did he mine salt and become a victim of the cave?
Sothmann No.5 has tapeworm eggs. Genus in his system. These were found while studying his body. This discovery shows that raw or undercooked meat was eaten, which is the first time that this parasite was found in ancient Iran and the earliest evidence of ancient intestinal parasites in this area. The best preserved, and perhaps the most distressing, salt worker is Salt Worker No.4, a miner of 16 years old who was crushed to death by a landslide at the moment of his death.
Once upon a time, it seemed that the four "salt men" exhibited in the Zan Rahchuhani Museum were in danger of being damaged by bacterial infection. The showcase is not sealed properly, so air can't enter. As a result, some mummies suffered some damage to their internal organs. However, Iranian media and Zanzhan, director of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, later reported: "I can now say without hesitation that the conditions of salt people raised here are better than those in the Iranian National Museum in Tehran." Three boxes are specially made for Saltmen, and the price of each box is about $25,000. These boxes are equipped with equipment that enables experts to monitor internal conditions and have complete control over them.
These five mummies and related discoveries have brought us a wealth of knowledge, and they are still bringing us an understanding of ancient Iran. This is really priceless. I hope I can dig deeper in this mine one day in order to make further discoveries.