Publications on Iran

@article{nokey,

title = {Exceptional Ancient DNA Preservation and Fibre Remains of a Sasanian Saltmine Sheep Mummy in ChehrāBāD, Iran},

author = {Conor Rossi and Gabriela Ruß-Popa and Valeria Mattiangeli and Fionnuala McDaid and Andrew J. Hare and Hossein Davoudi and Haeedeh Laleh and Zahra Lorzadeh and Roya Khazaeli and Homa Fathi and Matthew D. Teasdale and Abolfazl Aali and Thomas Stöllner and Marjan Mashkour and Kevin G. Daly},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0222},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-00-00},

urldate = {2021-00-00},

journal = {Biological letters},

issue = {17},

abstract = {Mummified remains have long attracted interest as a potential source of ancient DNA. However, mummification is a rare process that requires an anhydrous environment to rapidly dehydrate and preserve tissue before complete decomposition occurs. We present the whole-genome sequences (3.94 X) of an approximately 1600-year-old naturally mummified sheep recovered from Chehrābād, a salt mine in northwestern Iran. Comparative analyses of published ancient sequences revealed the remarkable DNA integrity of this mummy. Hallmarks of postmortem damage, fragmentation and hydrolytic deamination are substantially reduced, likely owing to the high salinity of this taphonomic environment. Metagenomic analyses reflect the profound influence of high-salt content on decomposition; its microbial profile is predominated by halophilic archaea and bacteria, possibly contributing to the remarkable preservation of the sample. Applying population genomic analyses, we find clustering of this sheep with Southwest Asian modern breeds, suggesting ancestry continuity. Genotyping of a locus influencing the woolly phenotype showed the presence of an ancestral ‘hairy’ allele, consistent with hair fibre imaging. This, along with derived alleles associated with the fat-tail phenotype, provides genetic evidence that Sasanian-period Iranians maintained specialized sheep flocks for different uses, with the ‘hairy’, ‘fat-tailed’-genotyped sheep likely kept by the rural community of Chehrābād's miners.},

keywords = {Archaeozoology, Salt, Zanjan},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {Radiological and Histological Findings in Ancient Salt Mummies From the Salt Mine of DouzlāKh, Iran},

author = {Lena Maria Öhrström and Herman Marquez and Roger Seiler and Beata Bode and Abolfazl Aali and Thomas Stöllner and Frank Jakobus Rühli},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250745},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-00-00},

urldate = {2021-00-00},

journal = {PLoS ONE},

number = {4},

issue = {16},

abstract = {Computed tomography studies and histological analyses were performed on the mummified remains found in the Chehrābād salt mine in northwestern Iran. The ancient salt mummies are dated to the Achaemenid (550–330 BC) and Sassanid (3rd–7th century AD) time period and died in mining incidents. The aim of the study was to describe the radiological and histological findings of several ancient Iranian salt mummies with special interest in pathological and postmortem changes. The mummified remains show multiple traumatic alterations, such as fractures and signs of massive compression. Histological analyses can clearly differentiate soft tissue, however the preservation status is variable. These Iranian salt mummies are a rare example of the ancient Iranian population. The soft tissue and organs are well preserved, however in different degrees due to the varying conditions.},

keywords = {Archaeobotany, Mining, Zanjan},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {Analyzing Archaeological Finds from the Chehrabad Salt Mine},

author = {Abolfazl Aali and Thomas Stöllner and Bahman Firuzmandi},

url = {https://jarcs.ut.ac.ir/article_73118.html?lang=en},

doi = {10.22059/JARCS.2019.73118},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-00-00},

urldate = {2019-00-00},

journal = {Journal of Archaeological Studies},

volume = {11},

number = {2},

pages = {191-210},

abstract = {The Chehrabad salt mine is one of the rare ancient salt mine in the world and the only identified salt mine in Iran which has evidences of salt extracting over a long time span from 500 BC to modern times. According to the field researches conducted so far, in the excavated area, mining activities are proven to be in use in the Achaemenid, Sasanian, Middle and Late Islamic periods. After the accidental discoveries in 1993 and 2004, several season of excavation and archaeological surveys, have been carried out in the mine and around it. Archaeological researches brought to light interesting results concerning the techniques, periods and extracting tools, also relation between salt mine and the archaeological sites around it. Digging deep tunnels inside the salt rock deposits in different dimensions and sizes and using the various extraction tools can be seen in the excavated area with the difference in details in all the aforementioned periods. The long- term salt extraction activities and multi- periodic collapse of the tunnels, have resulted the formation of various layers such as fall, occupation, mining and erosion layers in different parts of the mine and the filling many of its old tunnels. According to documents, Most of the discovered human remains were probably non- native miners who died during catastrophic mining accidents and mummified naturally.},

keywords = {Achaemenid, Mining, Resilience, Resources, Sasanian, Zanjan},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {Reappraisal of the number of salt mummies identified in Chehrābād Salt Mine, Zanjan, Iran},

author = {Hamed Vahdati Nasab and Abolfazl Aali and Mandan Kazzazi and Mark Pollard and Thomas Stöllner

},

url = {http://www.anthropology.uw.edu.pl/13/bne-13-03.pdf},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-00-00},

urldate = {2019-00-00},

journal = {Bioarchaeology of the Near East},

volume = {13},

pages = {23-47},

abstract = {The Chehrābād Salt Mine mummies were first discovered in 1993. So far, six individuals have been identified in the mine. Three (1, 2, and 3) were found accidentally by miners, while another three (4, 5, and 6) were discovered through systematic archaeological excavations. This article shows that there are two more individuals represented in the collection, bringing the total number of mummies to eight. Osteological examination confirms that the extra bones initially placed with Salt Man 1 belong to another individual, possibly a young adult male, of unknown date, called Salt Man 7. In addition, results

from AMS dating of an extra piece of mandible, which was originally placed with the skeletal remains of Salt Man 3, indicates that this specimen does not belong to this individual; it was removed from the collection and renamed as Salt Man 8. The osteological analysis of the bone remains of Salt Man 8 suggests that this individual might also be a young male.},

keywords = {Achaemenid, Mining, Resilience, Resources, Sasanian, Zanjan},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}