Archaeologists believe they’re closer than ever to understanding a sprawling ancient salt mine in Iran that preserved dead miners in grisly states of suspended animation.
The zombie-like remains of these 'Saltmen,' some frozen in a rictus of their terrified final screams as they were buried alive, date at least as far back as the first empire to rule over the region: Persia's Achaemenid Dynasty from 550-330 BC.
At the height of this dynasty's reign, according to the new study, 'the Achaemenid mine was abandoned after a mining catastrophe that cost the lives of three miners.' Evidence shows salt mining operations did not resume for nearly two centuries.
In the case of the salt mummies, as paleo-pathologist Dr Lena Öhrström and her co-authors put it, 'the mummification process was induced by salt.' The 'hygroscopic' or moisture absorbing effect of the mine's extensive salt deposits, according to Dr Öhrström... dehydrated the Saltmen until they were 'naturally' mummified.
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