Ötzi is the name given to one of the best-preserved mummified bodies in Europe. The body was found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, and investigations show that it lived over 5000 years ago (approx. 3400–3100 BC). After his death, the body became dehydrated, and his remains were naturally mummified in the glacial ice.
When the recovery of his body began, numerous leather fragments, strings, pieces of fur and bundles of hay came to light. These were pieces of Ötzi’s clothing, which were made of leather, fur and braided grass. A coat, a belt, a pair of trousers, a loincloth, shoes and a cap made of bearskin were found. Other items scattered around him were a copper axe, a flint dagger, a long stick (later identified as a bow), and a quiver with two ready-made arrows and twelve arrow shafts. Remains of a kind of backpack and two birch bark containers were discovered, one of them with traces of maple leaves and charcoal fragments.
Further investigations showed that his stomach contained traces of various grains, plants, fruits and meat. 61 tattoos in the form of lines and crosses were found on his body. These tattoos were not made with needles, like modern tattoos, but through fine incisions into which powdered charcoal was rubbed.
Later examinations, including X-rays, revealed a flint arrowhead in his left shoulder. The entry wound was in his back. The arrow shattered the shoulder blade and damaged nerves and blood vessels, suggesting that Ötzi may have bled to death. His head also suffered a serious injury, caused either by a fall after the arrow shot or by a blow. He must have been involved in a fight a few days before his death, as his right hand had a deep cut.
Ötzi was about 45 years old, 160 cm tall and weighed about 50 kg when he died. His body and belongings are now on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy.
Leave a Reply