The Saltmen (Persian: مردان نمکی) are the remains of several people found in the Chehrabad salt mines. These mines are located in the southern part of Hamzehlu village, on the west side of the city of Zanjan, in Zanjan Province, Iran. By 2010, remains of six men had been found. Most of them were accidentally killed when tunnels collapsed while they were working. The head and left foot of Saltman 1 are shown at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran.

Discovery

In the winter of 1993, miners found a body with long hair, a beard, and several items. These included the remains of a body, a lower leg inside a leather boot, three iron knives, a woolen half trouser, a silver needle, a sling, parts of a leather rope, a grindstone, a walnut, some pottery pieces, some patterned fabric fragments, and a few broken bones. The body was buried in the middle of a tunnel that was about 45 meters (148 feet) long.

In 2004, another salt miner discovered the remains of a second man. During archaeological excavations in 2005, the remains of two more well-preserved men were found. In 2006, the Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency worked with the German Mining Museum in Bochum, Germany. In 2007, they partnered with the University of Oxford and the Swiss University of Zurich for detailed studies. A scientific long-term project was started, supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and British funding. Four bodies, including a teenager and a woman, are now kept at the Archaeology Museum (Zolfaghari House) in Zanjan. A sixth body found in 2010 remained in the salt mine. Three hundred fabric pieces were discovered, some of which still had designs and colors. In 2008, the Ministry of Industries and Mines canceled the mining permit.

Research

Archaeological research, including carbon dating of bones and textiles, shows that the Saltman is about 1,700 years old. Testing a hair sample revealed that his blood type was B+.

Three-dimensional scans, created by a team of scientists led by Jalal Jalal Shokouhi, show fractures near the eye and other injuries caused by a strong blow before death. The Saltman had long hair and a beard, and a golden earring in his left ear suggests he may have held a position of importance. The reason he was in the Chehrabad salt mine and how he died is still unknown.

Three of the saltmen are dated to the Parthian (247 BCE–224 CE) and Sasanian (224–651 CE) periods, while the others are from the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE).

A 2012 study reported that the 2,200-year-old Chehrabad mummy had tapeworm eggs from the genus Taenia in his intestines. This discovery provides information about ancient diets, showing that raw or undercooked meat was eaten. It also represents the earliest known evidence of intestinal parasites in Iran and adds to understanding of gastrointestinal diseases in West Asia.