Cold case? Mystery of iceman found 5,000 years after his death
Mountaineers must be extremely experienced before attempting a gruelling ascent of the Ötztal Alps but even a pair of seasoned German tourists were not prepared for what they found during their climb on September 19, 1991.
Out of a patch of ice poked the head and shoulders of a dead body. Husband and wife Helmut and Erika Simon assumed it must have been the remains of a tragic mountaineer who had recently died of exposure while attempting to explore the Alps alone.
When they told the authorities what they had found, however, the truth soon emerged that this was no ordinary, or particularly fresh, dead body.
It turned out to be the mummified remains of a man who lived around 5,300 years ago. Dubbed Ötzi the Iceman after the alpine mountain range in which he was found, Ötzi was incredibly well preserved because he had been covered in ice shortly after his death.
Not only that, his belongings and even parts of his clothing had remained in good condition, giving archaeologists an unparalleled look at the lives of humans in ancient times.
Ötzi the Iceman had been about 45 years old at the time of his death, 5ft 3in, and weighed roughly 110lbs. From pollen and dust grains found inside his body, and the isotopic composition of his tooth enamel, scientists were able to deduce that he probably grew up close to Bolzano in Northern Italy, moving to the valleys near the border of Austria later in his life.
He had an intestinal parasite called whipworm, which would have caused him severe stomach pain, and was lactose intolerant. He had 61 tattoos, which historians have speculated may have been the result of an early form of acupuncture.
Ötzi had high levels of copper and arsenic in his hair, which has led some experts to think he was a copper smelter by trade.
Studies of his bones have found that he regularly walked through hilly terrain which, being unusual for humans of his time, led to alternative speculation that he was actually a high-altitude shepherd.
The most mysterious thing about Ötzi was not discovered until 10 years after he was pried out of the ice. Originally thought to have died of exposure during a storm, X-rays and CT scans of his body in 2001 found that an arrowhead had been lodged in his left shoulder, and that he likely died due to blood loss from the injury.
Further investigation
found that he had a serious hand injury that must have occurred in the days before his death, but that he had no other defensive wounds, suggesting Ötzi might have been in, and won, a fight shortly before he died.
In revenge, his murderer may have followed Ötzi up the mountain and shot him at a distance. Evidence suggests Ötzi was resting at the time of his death and that his killer caught him by surprise.
Other theories surmise that Otzi was part of a raiding party and was killed during an ambush with an opposing tribe.
Ötzi the Iceman is Europe’s oldest known natural mummy, and his remains are on display in South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Italy.