An historic salt mine in Iran naturally preserved useless miners for 1000’s of years in a grisly state – a few of them frozen with their arms nonetheless raised earlier than being buried alive. In keeping with the New York Submit, these corpses – often called the “Saltmen” – have been naturally mummified and preserved within the Chehrabad salt mine, close to the village of Manzelou in northwest Iran. The our bodies got here from varied time intervals, with the oldest relationship again to 9550 BCE – greater than 10,000 years in the past.
The primary Saltman – full with an extended white beard and a single gold earring, in addition to a set of iron knives – was by accident unearthed by miners in 1993. This mummy was nonetheless carrying considered one of his leather-based boots and had some traces of woollen trousers on his leg. In keeping with the Post, the person is believed to have died within the mine round 300 CE. His stays have been buried in the midst of a 148-foot tunnel.
The second corpse was found in 2004, simply 50 ft from the place Saltman 1’s stays have been uncovered. In 2005, two extra mummies – together with the stays of a 16-year-old boy – have been present in one other tunnel. By 2010, a complete of six corpses had been discovered within the salt mine.
The entire corpses have been remarkably well-preserved by the salt that surrounded them. The dearth of oxygen additionally meant that the our bodies couldn’t decompose.
A examine of the primary Saltman head revealed that the corpse had fractures round his eye and harm to the pinnacle – main scientists to conclude that they have been all seemingly killed in mining collapse. The 16-year-old mummy was even discovered together with his fingers nonetheless raised above his face as if he was stunned by a sudden fall or different menace.
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The fifth Saltman was extra well-preserved than the others, which allowed scientists to look at his organs up shut. They found that he had tapeworm eggs which indicated that the lads consumed uncooked or undercooked meat earlier than they met their premature loss of life within the salt caves.
The invention marked the earliest proof of historic intestinal parasites in Iran, based on a 2012 analysis paper printed within the Journal of Parasitology.
Whereas six complete our bodies have been accounted for, indifferent physique elements have additionally been discovered, the Submit reported. The variety of potential “Saltmen” our bodies is now believed to be eight or extra. It’s extremely possible that every one of them have been miners who died in collapses or accidents. The official reason behind loss of life in addition to what number of extra of them there may very well be contained in the mine stays a thriller.