Otzi AKA The Iceman

Buried in ice just inside Italy lies Otzi. Otzi was found in 1991 by some hikers in the Italian Alps. While first thought to be a recent death, most likely from the cold, further examination of Otzi has proven he is much more remarkable than anyone imagined. Otzi, also known as The Iceman, lived and died around 3300BC. This makes him the oldest human body ever found and because he was buried in ice, he is remarkably well preserved.
After his death Otzi was buried under ice and snow within a relatively short period of time. This deep freeze encasing his body stopped the deterioration of his body. It was too cold for bacteria to eat away his flesh, and the ice kept animals from scattering his remains. Otzi was so well preserved in this ice, that when he was found sticking out from it, the first assumption was that he was no more than a few years old.
Thanks to such a well preserved body and artifacts, we are able to get a clearer picture of what life was like for Otzi. Evidence found with him suggests that he could possibly have been a hunter or shepherd. Maybe he was a warrior or leader. The Iceman was in his early 40's, which was fairly old for his day. Examination of his fingernails show that he had been sick three times within the last several months. If he was a leader, this illness could symbolize his weakening power with the gods and spirits, perhaps he was banished from the tribe.
Looking into his stomach and intestines, archaeologists are able to determine not only what he had eaten, but when, and where. Found inside his organs were the remains of two meals. The more recent of the two consisted of red deer, fruits, and cereals. The grain was refined and possibly could have been a rudimentary bread. This last meal was eaten roughly eight hours before his death.
A few hours before, Otzi had eaten some Ibex. Remarkably, pollen samples found with this food can tell us where Otzi had been traveling. Roughly the eight-teen to twenty-four hours before he died, Otzi was down on the valley floor, possibly doing some hunting with a small group. Then he started to climb. Rather quickly, he moves from the valley floor up through a conifer forest. This is where he ate his last meal, roughly eight hours before his death. Was he being chased? Was a storm moving through? Something was making the Iceman leave the valley floor and head up. He could have been trying to escape through a pass. Whatever the reason, Otzi was in trouble.
At first examination of The Iceman it was assumed that he died from exposure to the elements. However there are several problems with that. Otzi was clearly an experienced woodsman. He did not live to his old age by not being prepared. Otzi was wearing high quality bearskin boots, he had a coat made from woven grasses, leather leggings, and a high quality copper ax. The purity of the ax has been shown to be 99.7% Copper. Maybe this ax had more to do with his death than first thought. X-Ray analysis shows a high quality stone arrowhead lodged behind his left shoulder. Interestingly enough, big-game hunters from this time would aim for the left shoulder blade to bring down quarry. Was Otzi shot by rival hunters?
More recently, new information has been brought to light on Otziâ??s death. DNA evidence tells us that the blood of four other individuals can be found on or among Otziâ??s remains. There is blood on his flint knife. Blood from two individuals has been found on one of his finished arrows. Also blood remains were found on the backside of his outer clothing. What does this all mean? Theories believe that the blood of one of these individuals is probably that of his killer. Otzi might have killed two men with the same arrow, retrieving it both times. One of his companions in this raid/attack could have been wounded and Otzi tried to carry him on his back, instead he runs into another person or group. A knife fight breaks out and Otzi is slashed to the bone on his hand. This wound would have no time to heal. Now injured and alone, Otzi is being chased up a mountain, his only chance is to go up over the pass and get lost on the downward slope. His pursuers either catch up with him, or ambush him and Otzi is shot, through the left shoulder blade, piercing an artery. This wound is fatal. His killer approaches the body and rolls him over onto his stomach. The person attempts to retrieve his arrow point but is unable to, only coming away with the shaft. Face-down, laying over one arm, this is where Otzi dies. He will not be seen again for 5300 years.
A lot is known about Otzi, or The Iceman. The extreme conditions in which he died preserved his body remarkably well and because of this we can gain valuable incites into our distant relatives. Otzi could have been a leader, a warrior, a smelter, hunter, or shepherd. He was an old man in his day and had acquired many skills. Found amongst his remains were a highly sophisticated fire-making kit as well as an ax made nearly 100% out of Copper. In his last day he traveled through several temperate zones, from the valley floor, up the mountainside. Otzi was murdered, either ambushed at the site by robbers or chased up the mountain by a warring clan. He was shot in the back with a very well made point. He has cut, to the bone, at the base of his thumb, signs of a fight just before his death. His history is a rough one. Arthritis was setting into his joints, and there are some fifty tattoos, possibly an ancient form of acupuncture. Otzi is not just the oldest human body ever found. He is one of the most important discoveries of the twentieth century, a man who answers some questions yet raises many more. Future analysis will provide information not only on his life, but will help teach us about all ancient peoples. In death, quite possibly his greatest achievement.

Bibliography

Endicott, Phillip; Sanchez, Juan J.; Metspalu, Ene; Behar, Doron M.; Kivisild, Toomas. 2007. The Unresolved Location of Otziâ??s mtDNA Within Haplogroup K. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 132:590-593.


Renfrew, Colin; Bahn, Paul. 2004. Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. 70-71. Thames and Hudson, New York, NY


Rollo, Franco; Ubaldi, Massimo; Ermini, Luca; Marota, Isolina. 2002. Otziâ??s Last Meals: DNA Analysis of the Intestinal Content of the Neolithic Glacier Mummy from the Alps. Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol.99, No. 20

Hey FlyGuy, that paper came out really well. Nice work.

Cool stuff.

Otzi the Iceman
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal

Or am I thinking of the wrong guy?

no you are spot on

It's a really interesting mystery about how he died. He was probably murdered, but why didn't they steal his valuables? Supposedly, at that time, a copper axe was one of the most valuable things a man could own.