Several tabular array salt mummies guide keep been unearthed inward an onetime mine inward Iran. Some of them originated earlier the nascency of Christ. Who were they? And how had they lived?
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| Mummy unearthed inward the Douzlakh mine [Credit: © DBM/RUB, K. Stange, AVttention, Marienheide] |
To date, trunk parts of 8 individuals guide keep been recovered, which guide keep been preserved inward tabular array salt over centuries, consummate with skin, hair, organs together with fifty-fifty the clothe they wore. The circumstances of their decease together with the civilisation inward which they lived are beingness analysed inward an international query projection coordinated past times Professor Thomas Stöllner at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, which has been co-funded past times the High German Research Foundation since 2010.
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| Parts of the onetime mine are accessible from above. Other areas, too, are reasonably closed to the surface, which makes it much easier for the archaeologists to bear their query [Credit: © DBM/RUB, F. Schapals/J. Schröder] |
“After the Iran–Iraq War, RUB together with Deutsches Bergbau-Museum were alongside the start institutions that carried out archaeological query inward Iran,” points out Stöllner. He has been involved inward the Chehrābād projection since 2005. After the portion has been declared a conservation area, extensive excavations guide keep been taking house there.
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| More than xl researchers from Iran, Switzerland, the UK, France, Deutschland together with Republic of Austria are involved inward the research project. Engineering run is organised inward collaboration with the earthworks workers on site [Credit: © DBM/RUB, F. Schapals] |
In a house where stone tabular array salt was mined good into the 21st century, a mine had existed every bit far dorsum every bit 700 BC, which was continuously inward performance until 400 AD. “The Iranian tabular array salt mine inward Douzlākh opens upwards unique opportunities to expand our understanding,” explains Thomas Stöllner. “Unlike on other sites, parts of the onetime mine tin endure accessed from above.”
Following geological shifts, the tabular array salt deposit itself tilted upwards together with could so endure mined on the surface. Modern surface mining methods destroyed the surface layers that are rich inward salt, every bit good every bit several areas of the onetime mine; on the other hand, it paved the means for the mummy finds together with rendered parts of the onetime structures accessible from above.
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| Thomas Stöllner routinely travels to Islamic Republic of Iran together with takes purpose inward earthworks campaigns [Credit: © DBM/RUB, F. Schapals] |
“In other locations where nosotros query onetime tabular array salt mines, for illustration inward Austria, nosotros guide keep to dig tunnels below footing together with search for archaeological finds there,” every bit Stöllner describes the normally adverse conditions. “This is non solely to a greater extent than difficult, but it also takes longer to convey private finds together together with sympathize the connections betwixt them.”
In Chehrābād, the projection squad has used excavators to dig a profile with a length of sixty metres together with a tiptop of 35 meters. This wall provides a cross-section of all earthworks layers. “In Austria, it took us twenty years to practise the same thing,” explains the archeologist from Bochum. “In Iran, nosotros excavated the profile inward the course of written report of iii campaigns that took a few weeks each – sometimes with the aid of machines.”
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| In add-on to the tabular array salt mummies, the projection squad also discovered clothes, clay pots, together with wooden tools [Credit: © DBM/RUB, J. Schröder] |
Disaster at earthworks site tin endure explained
Three of the bodies discovered so far appointment dorsum to the Achaemenid Empire, i.e. the fourth dimension of the First Western Farsi Empire that stretched from the sixth century to the belatedly fourth century BC. The most spectacular honor according to Thomas Stöllner is the so-called Mummy No. 4: a man child betwixt fifteen together with xvi years of historic menses who was a worker inward the mine.
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| Tomographic scan of Mummy No. 4: the left motion painting shows the skull with several fractures; the arrow points to an earring that the human had worn. The motion painting inward the centre shows the within of the skull with the remains of the brain. The motion painting on the correct shows the chest with several broken ribs [Credit: © University of Zurich, L. Öhrström/F. Rühli, nach Aali/Stöllner 2015] |
We know that in that location is a minute person, who is notwithstanding wearing their rucksack, who ran away together with was likewise killed past times falling rocks. As far every bit the tertiary soul is concerned, the location of the honor is unfortunately less clear, because it was excavated dorsum inward 2004 during regular tabular array salt mining operations together with without whatsoever archaeological examinations.”
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| In Iran, the projection squad has exposed a large wall profile that renders a cross-section of all earthworks layers in the mine visible [Credit: © DBM/RUB, J. Schröder] |
By now, the projection squad has institute out much to a greater extent than nearly the man child who died inward the mine. “We know that he was a well-nourished immature man, in all probability from Central Asia or from the Caspian Sea,” says Stöllner.
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| The earthworks of the large northward profile inward the Douzlakh tabular array salt mine is beingness surveyed [Credit: © DBM/RUB, F. Schapals] |
As Thomas Stöllner says, it is non surprising that people from unlike regions worked inward the mine. “The Achaemenid Empire was huge. We know from written sources that in that location were interrelationships alongside all parts of the Empire every bit good every bit a high score of mobility – merely similar inward the European Union today,” explains the archaeologist.
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| Thomas Stöllner has been researching inward Islamic Republic of Iran for 17 years [Credit: © Damian Gorczany] |
The disaster that killed the man child was non the solely ane that occurred inward the Douzlākh mine. There must guide keep been at to the lowest degree iii cave-ins: the minute ane around 300 BC, together with some other ane betwixt the fifth together with sixth century BC.
To create upwards one's heed the era, the researchers work radiocarbon dating. It is based on the instable isotope of carbon, namely 14C that continuously decreases inward dead matter. Broadly speaking, the book of 14C tin thus endure used to calculate the historic menses of a mummy or of a wooden item.
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| Halite crystal from the Douzlakh tabular array salt mine that is famous for its rich together with pure stone tabular array salt deposits [Credit: © DBM/RUB, K. Stange, AVttention, Marienheide] |
The squad was non solely interested inward the events inward the mine itself, but also inward the life surrounding it, every bit they appeared to guide keep had an touching on on each other. Even inward the early on stages of the Achaemenid Empire, a vast agricultural organization evolved inward the expanse surrounding the mine, which was afterwards considerably optimised during the Sasanian Empire, presumably because an irrigation organization was implemented. This is because ane of the region’s problems was that drinking H2O was scarce due to the high tabular array salt content.
“Presumably, humans were initially unable to settle inward the region,” speculates Thomas Stöllner. Thanks to the profits yielded past times the tabular array salt mine, the inhabitants mightiness guide keep eventually been able to gear upwards an irrigation organization – according to ane theory. Consequently, this paved the means to a rather to a greater extent than stable agriculture together with settlement.
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| In the course of written report of their project, the researchers written report non solely the history of the Douzlakh tabular array salt mine, but also the life together with civilisation inward the surrounding expanse [Credit: © DBM/RUB, F. Schapals] |
Author: Julia Weiler | Source: Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum [October 19, 2018]
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