Ötzi

There is also an Austrian singer and entertainer who calls himself DJ Ötzi.

Ötzi the Iceman

Ötzi the Iceman (also spelled Oetzi and known also as Frozen Fritz) is the modern nickname of a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC, found in 1991 in a glacier of the Ötztal Alps, near the border between Austria and Italy. The nickname comes from the valley of discovery. He rivals the Egyptian "Ginger" as the oldest known human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view on the habits of Chalcolithic (Copper-stone Age) Europeans.

Discovery

Ötzi was found by two German tourists, Helmut and Erika Simon, on September 19, 1991. The body was at first thought to be a modern corpse, like several others which had been recently found in the region. It was roughly recovered by the Austrian authorities and taken to Innsbruck, where its true age was finally discovered. Subsequent surveys showed that the body had been located a few meters inside Italian territory. It is now on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.

Scientific analysis

The body has been extensively examined, measured, x-rayed, and dated. Tissues and gut contents were examined microscopically, as was the pollen found on his gear.

At the time of his death, Ötzi was a 30-to-45-year old man, approximately 160 cm (5'3") tall. Analysis of pollen and dust grains and the isotopic composition of his teeth's enamel indicate that he spent his childhood near the present village of Feldthurns, north of Bolzano, but later went to live in valleys about 50 km further north.

He had 57 tattoos, some of which were located on or near acupuncture points that coincide with the modern points that would be used to treat symptoms of diseases that Ötzi seems to have suffered from, such as digestive parasites and osteoarthrosis. Some scientists believe that these tattoos indicate an early type of acupuncture [1].

His clothes, including a woven grass cloak and leather vest and shoes, were quite sophisticated. The shoes were waterproof and wide, seemingly designed for walking across the snow; they were constructed using bearskin for the soles, deer hide for top panels, and a netting made of tree bark. Soft grass went around the foot and in the shoe and functioned like warm socks. The shoes have since been reproduced by experts and found to constitute such excellent footwear that there are plans for commercial production [2].

Other items found with the Iceman were a copper axe with a yew handle, a flint knife with an ash handle, a quiver full of arrows with viburnum and dogwood shafts and flint heads, and an unfinished yew longbow that was taller than he was.

Among Ötzi's possessions were two species of polypore mushrooms. One of these (the birch fungus) is known to have antibacterial properties, and was likely used for medical purposes. The other was a type of tinder fungus, included with part of what appeared to be a complex firestarting kit. The kit featured pieces of over a dozen different plants, in addition to flint and pyrite for creating sparks.

Analysis of Ötzi's gut contents showed two meals (the last one about eight hours before his death), one of chamois meat, the second of red deer meat, both consumed with some grain (indicating the presence of agriculture in the region) as well as some roots and fruits. The grain from both meals was a highly processed einkorn wheat bran, quite possibly eaten in the form of bread. There were also a few seeds of sloe berry (related to plums). Pollen in the first meal showed that it had been consumed in a mid-altitude conifer forest, and other pollens indicated the presence of wheat and legumes, which may have been domesticated crops. The pollen was very well preserved, indicating that it had been fresh (less than a month old) at the time of Ötzi's death, placing the event in the spring. Interestingly, einkorn wheat is harvested in the late summer, and sloe berries in the fall; these must have been stored since the year before. Isotope analyses from his hair collagen indicated either Ötzi had been a lifelong vegan (unlikely, considering his last meal and attire), or had obtained most of his protein from sea foods.

In 2004, frozen bodies of three Austro-Hungarian soldiers killed during the Battle of San Matteo (1918) were found. One body was sent to a museum in the hope that research on how the environment affected its preservation will help to find out about Ötzi's past and future evolution.

DNA analysis of Otzi by Franco Rollo's group at the University of Camerino has shown that his mtDNA belongs to the K1 subcluster of haplogroup K but that it cannot be categorized into any of the three modern branches of that subcluster.

An ancient crime?

DNA analysis revealed traces of blood from four other people on his gear: one from his knife, two from the same arrowhead, and a fourth from his coat. A CAT scan revealed that Ötzi had what appeared to be an arrowhead lodged in one shoulder when he died, matching a small tear on his coat. The arrow shaft had been removed, apparently by a companion. He also had bruises and cuts on his hands, wrists, and chest.

From such evidence, and an examination of his weapons, molecular biologist Thomas Loy from the University of Queensland believes that Ötzi and one or two companions were hunters who engaged in a skirmish with a rival group. At some point, he may have carried (or been carried by) a companion. Weakened by blood loss, Ötzi apparently put down his equipment neatly against a rock, lay down and expired.

Before the latest evidence, it was speculated that, rather than fleeing attackers, he was ritually killed to propitiate a god or gods, or that he was a chieftain and therefore ritually killed to ensure fertility. One of the most fanciful theories was that he was in fact an Egyptian who had been ritually castrated. Later examination, however, revealed that, though shrunken by the mummification, Ötzi did in fact possess a penis.

Curse

Some reporters have noted the deaths of several peoples related to the discovery of the mummy, including its discoverer Helmut Simon, and have tried to connect them to a presumed curse of Ötzi the Iceman — similar to the one that was allegedly attached to the mummy of Tutankhamon.

Many people have dismissed the theory by noting that most people eventually die, and that mountain climbers are risk takers and often die early of accidental causes. It should be noted that there are many more researchers and scientists who have worked closely with Ötzi's body and who have not died in the 14 years since his discovery. The Guardian commented on the alleged curse explaining: "Like all good curse theories, natural death, accidents and sheer bad luck have been compressed into a single sinister hypothesis." [3]

References

"Infertility link in iceman's DNA". (Feb. 3, 2006). BBC.

External links