Technicians and miners
From 1993 to December 2005, a series of Salt Men werefound in the Chehrabad Salt mine near Zanjan in northwestern Iran. Chehrabad Mine had been used from the Achaemenid dynastic era (550-330 BCE) up to the early of the Sassanid dynasty (224-651 CE).
Technicians and miners in a salt quarry in the central province of Zanjan have unearthed the remains of an ancient man, with some members of his body still intact in 1993. While bulldozing salt into trucks, they discovered the skeletons of the man, now nicknamed the Twin Salt Man, reminiscent of another similar discovery in 1994. Some bones of his skull, jaw, hands and feet have been dug out and they are almost intact and wear hair and nails.
Some pieces of clothing and a hand-woven thatch rug with a unique texture were discovered beside the Salt Man, who was 180-185 cm tall and aged between 35-40, as initial forensic tests indicate.
The bones have been transferred to the provincial capital city of Zanjan for further studies. The Hamzelou salt quarry, some 75 km away from Zanjan, would also be expeditiously excavated in a bid to find possible artifacts around him, found just 30 to 40 meters away from the place where the first Salt Man was unearthed.
Experts estimated the first find, aged 35-40 and measuring 165-170 in height, dated back to the Sassanid era, some 1700 years ago.
The first salt man had golden earrings and a sharp instrument attached to his waist that, scientists believe, could have been used for cleaning purposes. It is now kept in the Iranian National Museum.
The second salt man (nicknamed the twin salt man) was discovered at the Hamzehlu salt mine near Zanjan in November 2004. The remains of the skeleton are almost perfect, and they include parts of the skull, jaw, both arms, as well as the left and right legs and feet. Several pieces of wool cloth and a piece of a straw mat with a unique style of weaving were also discovered beside the second salt man. It was found 30 to 40 meters from the place where the first salt man was discovered. The remains are currently being kept at the Zanjan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department.
The third salt man’s body was buried under a two-ton rock. In January 2005, it was discovered. Several items such as a leather sack full of salt, a clay tallow burner, two pairs of leather shoes, and two cow horns were also discovered near the skeleton. Probably, the discovery of the remains of the skeleton near the rock proves the theory about a mine collapse at a specific time, leaving him no chance to escape.
In the same year, he fourth salt man was found. It’s the most preserved body to date and has been identified as a young adult. According to the latest researches, the man’s face lacks any beard and his height is 165-70 cm. the salt man’s cloths include a long quilt reaching his knees and a thigh high gaiter.
The fifth Salt man was discovered in December 2005, but no information about that mummy was given. In June 2007, the sixth salt man has been found. It dates from the Roman era and is the body of a person buried under rocks during an earthquake.
These salt men are among rare mummies discovered around the world and they are mummified as a result of natural conditions. Since the salt men have been buried in salt for centuries, most of their tissues are well preserved. Special conditions of the salt mine which prevented the activities of micro-organisms caused the excellent preservation of organic and inorganic materials in the mine
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