Meet Ötzi The Iceman, The Oldest Preserved Human Being Ever Found
Because Ötzi was so well-preserved, researchers were able to perform what was essentially a modern autopsy on him, leading to some fascinating insight on what life was like for this man who lived 35 centuries ago.
Not only was he determined to be in his 40s when he died, but Ötzi was also likely lean, weighing in at 110 pounds. He was measured at five feet and three inches tall.
It was also determined that he had intestinal parasites, stomach ulcers, arthritis, and Lyme disease. Furthermore, it was found that he shared a genetic affinity with the inhabitants of the islands of Sardinia and Corsica and might have been lactose intolerant.
The contents of his stomach also showed various types of pollen which suggested that he not only died in the spring or summer, but that he had traveled across different elevations in the mountains shortly before his death.
Meanwhile, the highly-preserved state of his skin also showed that he had 61 tattoos, which had been made by rubbing charcoal into tiny cuts.
Before Ötzi, scientists could only guess at what life was like in the Copper Age. But from his clothes, researchers gleaned that people 3,500 years ago wore textile leggings and animal skins. Feathers on the Neolithic man’s arrows also suggested that his people understood general ballistics.
Even though Ötzi the Iceman’s frozen body served up such a treasure trove of information to scientists, the cause of his death wasn’t discovered until a decade after he was initially found. It was then that a scan utilizing new X-ray technology revealed something lodged in the ancient man’s left shoulder that had previously been overlooked: an arrowhead.
Investigating The Copper Age Murder
A murder is still a murder, no matter what century it occurred in, so the museum where Otzi now rests called in Detective Inspector Alexander Horn of the Munich Police to see what he could find out.
Inspector Horn was surprised to note that the body was “in better condition than recent homicide victims I’ve worked on who have been found out in the open,” despite the fact that this particular corpse predated the Pyramids.In 2012, a report was published that speculated on the Iceman’s manner of death. The nature of the wound suggested he was shot from behind, but the fact that the victim’s belongings had not been stolen led Inspector Horn to conclude that this was a homicide of a personal nature, although it doesn’t seem likely any arrests will be made.
But the mysteries surrounding Ötzi the Iceman have extend beyond his murder. Because the body was removed from the spot it had been resting in for thousands of years, there have been rumors of a curse upon those who disturbed him.
In fact, Helmut Simon, one of the hikers who found Ötzi back in 1991, met his end during a freak blizzard and was himself found buried under ice and snow not far from where he made the discovery that changed history.
These days, Ötzi is being held in a freezer at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. It’s estimated that about 10 to 15 scientists request to study his remains each year.
Not only was he determined to be in his 40s when he died, but Ötzi was also likely lean, weighing in at 110 pounds. He was measured at five feet and three inches tall.
It was also determined that he had intestinal parasites, stomach ulcers, arthritis, and Lyme disease. Furthermore, it was found that he shared a genetic affinity with the inhabitants of the islands of Sardinia and Corsica and might have been lactose intolerant.
The contents of his stomach also showed various types of pollen which suggested that he not only died in the spring or summer, but that he had traveled across different elevations in the mountains shortly before his death.
Meanwhile, the highly-preserved state of his skin also showed that he had 61 tattoos, which had been made by rubbing charcoal into tiny cuts.
Before Ötzi, scientists could only guess at what life was like in the Copper Age. But from his clothes, researchers gleaned that people 3,500 years ago wore textile leggings and animal skins. Feathers on the Neolithic man’s arrows also suggested that his people understood general ballistics.
Even though Ötzi the Iceman’s frozen body served up such a treasure trove of information to scientists, the cause of his death wasn’t discovered until a decade after he was initially found. It was then that a scan utilizing new X-ray technology revealed something lodged in the ancient man’s left shoulder that had previously been overlooked: an arrowhead.
Investigating The Copper Age Murder
A murder is still a murder, no matter what century it occurred in, so the museum where Otzi now rests called in Detective Inspector Alexander Horn of the Munich Police to see what he could find out.
Inspector Horn was surprised to note that the body was “in better condition than recent homicide victims I’ve worked on who have been found out in the open,” despite the fact that this particular corpse predated the Pyramids.In 2012, a report was published that speculated on the Iceman’s manner of death. The nature of the wound suggested he was shot from behind, but the fact that the victim’s belongings had not been stolen led Inspector Horn to conclude that this was a homicide of a personal nature, although it doesn’t seem likely any arrests will be made.
But the mysteries surrounding Ötzi the Iceman have extend beyond his murder. Because the body was removed from the spot it had been resting in for thousands of years, there have been rumors of a curse upon those who disturbed him.
In fact, Helmut Simon, one of the hikers who found Ötzi back in 1991, met his end during a freak blizzard and was himself found buried under ice and snow not far from where he made the discovery that changed history.
These days, Ötzi is being held in a freezer at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. It’s estimated that about 10 to 15 scientists request to study his remains each year.
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23 February 2023
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