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Radiological findings in an ancient Iranian salt mummy (Chehrābād ca. 410-350 BC)

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An Erratum to this article was published on 28 December 2015

Abstract

Objective

To study pathologies, peri- and postmortal alterations as well as the general preservation state of an ancient Iranian salt mummy.

Materials and methods

Several mummified remains from two different time periods (1500–2500 BP) were found in the Chehrābād salt mine in Iran. Computed tomography was performed on Salt Man #4 (410-350 BC), the best preserved out of the six salt mummies (Siemens, Sensation 16; 512 × 512 matrix; 0.75–5 mm slice thickness, 240-mA tube current, 120-kV tube voltage, and 0.976-mm pixel size).

Results

Radiological analyses showed an excellent state of preservation of an adolescent body. Several normal variants such as aplasia of the frontal sinus as well as a rare congenital deformation of the 5th vertebral body (butterfly vertebra) have been observed. The individual shows multiple fractures, which is consistent with the theory that he died due to a collapse in the ancient salt mine.

Conclusions

The salt preserved the soft tissue as well as parts of the inner organs remarkably well. However, further investigations including histology are needed to reveal additional details of the health status of this unique salt mummy.

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Acknowledgments

We especially thank Shahram Aghlaghpour (Tehrān) for performing the CT Multislice scan. We further want to thank the DFG, Germany, the Miras Farhangi Zanjān, Iran, the Mäxi foundation, Zurich, Switzerland, and the Research Laboratory of Arts and Humanities (University of Oxford) for financial support and Michael Campana, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich for proofreading the manuscript.

Funding

The Salt Mine Exploration Project is a collaboration including the Iranian authorities, represented by the ICAR (Iranian Centre of Archaeological Research/ICHTO), the Ruhr University of Bochum, Institute for Archaeological Studies and the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum as the main project partner as well as further partners from Zurich, Oxford, Paris, Besançon and Tehran. The current fieldwork is financed by the DFG (DFG-Grant no: STO 458/12-1). Additional activities of the different project partners are supported by Miras Farhangi Zanjān, the Mäxi-Stiftung, Zurich and the Research Laboratory of Arts and Humanities (University of Oxford).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Lena M. Öhrström

    Present address: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, Zurich, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Mummy Project, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland

    Lena M. Öhrström, Roger Seiler, Thomas Böni & Frank J. Rühli

  2. Orthopedic University Hospital Balgrist, Forschstrasse 340, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland

    Thomas Böni

  3. Archaeological Museum of Zanjān, Emaarate Zolfaghari, Taleghani Street, Zanjān, Iran

    Abolfazl Aali

  4. Institut für Archäologische Wissenschaften, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Am Bergbaumuseum 31, 44791, Bochum, Germany

    Thomas Stöllner

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  1. Lena M. Öhrström
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Correspondence to Frank J. Rühli.

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Öhrström, L.M., Seiler, R., Böni, T. et al. Radiological findings in an ancient Iranian salt mummy (Chehrābād ca. 410-350 BC). Skeletal Radiol 44, 811–821 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-015-2103-y

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