Archaeology>>Archaeological Articles >>Otzi the Ice Mummy

Otzi the Iceman is well naturally preserved mummy of a man. The man who was been captured in Ice was believed to be over 53 centuries old (3300 BC).

How the mummy was found:
The mummy was found by Helmut and Erika Simon a German couple who were hiking the Oetzal Alps on 19th Sep'91. At first the couple thought that it was some mountain climber's mummified remains, but they finally decided to take a photo and report the incident to a nearby lodge caretaker, Markus Pirpamer. He in turn informed the respective authorities.

Discovery of true age: The body was harshly removed from the ice by some ignorant local authorities, which caused some damages to the mummy. It was taken to a morgue in Innsbruck. Since then it has been in display in South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy.

Tattoos, Clothes, Equipments:
Otzi was considered to have 57 carbon tattoos in his lower spine, behind his knee and right ankle. All the tattoos were of simple dots and lines. The tattoos were located near acupuncture points. Some scientists believe that these are ancient type of acupuncture and were used to treat otzi for some of the diseases he was suffering from. His clothes were highly sophisticated. He was wearing

• A Poncho
• A bear fur cap tied with two leather straps
• Cloak made of woven grass
• Loincloth
• Pair of leggings
• Belt

Equipments found:

• Copper axe with yew handle
• Flint knife with ash handle

Cause of death:
At first it was believed that Otzi would have died due to a heavy winter storm. But X-rays, CT scan revealed that an arrowhead has wedged in one of his shoulder when he died. It was alleged that Otzi must have been a victim of a ritual sacrifice. The theory was inspired by other discoveries such as Tollund Man and Lindow Man. He would have suffered unusual blood loss with no treatment available. He also had several cuts in hands, wrist and chest.

Otzi's Curse:
Influenced by the "Curse of Pharaohs" it was believed that Otzi mummy was cursed. The claim is that the deaths of some main people connected to the discovery and examination of Otzi have died under mystifying conditions. This includes the
Rainer Henn - was on the way to present new findings of the remains. "Head collision car accident."
Kurt Fritz - guided Dr.Henn to the location of Oetzi, Died in a avalanche shortly after that.
Rainer Hölz - created an hour long documentary of Otzi. Died of a brain tumor few months later.
Helmut Simon - discoverer, went for a walk disappeared and was found dead 8 days later.
Tom Loy - ground breaking DNA analysis on the corpse, died of blood clot.

Recent Findings:
Dr. Loy found four DNA samples from Otzi's blood. The theory talks a little prequel to his death, a sequence of events that could have happened before Otzi's struggling death. DNA samples done on Otzi man revealed blood traces of four other people,

• One from his knife
• Two from the same arrowhead
• And a fourth from his coat

The events are understood as Otziwas able to kill two of his rivals with the same arrowhead pulling it successfully out each time. The blood on his coat, should have been his wounded pal whom he had been carrying in this fuss. Latest studies reveal the cause of his death was not just by blood loss due to the arrow head, but he had received a hard blow from the back of his head. The blow could have been due to a fall or someone hit him hard from behind.