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Otzi Exhibition

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

	Replica of the iceman mummy which is in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano Italy. The mummy more than 5,300 years old, measures 1.4 metres today and weighs 14 kilos

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Where was Otzi Found?
New Measurements confirm that the site is south Tyro

Otzi, as the glacier corpse was soon nicknamed - was found at an altitude of 3210m above sea level in the Otzal Alps near the Italian-Austrian border in a narrow gully some 2 to 3 metres deep. Initially it was assumed that the site was in Austria. But soon doubts arose. Not surprisingly; in 1922 when the border was drawn, the area was under a 20m thick layer of ice.

A new survey was undertaken and the result came as a surprise. Otzi belonged to South Tyrol. The oldest known wet mummy in the world, the iceman met his death 5,300 years ago. He was discovered in the melted ice of a glacier in 1991 by a couple walking in the Alps, South Tyrol, Italy.

Otzi, named after the valley where he was found, died with an arrowhead in his shoulder and his possessions scattered around. Preserved for thousands of years by the glacier, the Iceman and his equipment have revealed fascinating evidence of life in the early copper age. Otzi was discovered by chance in 1991. He was recovered after 4 days.

Look a Body

While descending from an Alpine peak on September 19, 1991, Erika and Helmut Simon from Nuremberg (Germany) made a macabre discovery; a corpse. Appalled, they reported their discovery at the Similaun Refuge (Italy). Several unsuccessful recovery attempts were made by the Austrian Gendarmerie and Mountains rescue Unit (Austria).

The corpse was too firmly embedded in the ice. Newspaper reports began appearing. On the fourth day the body was recovered . A forensic pathologist was called to the scene but no archaeologist was present. The body was transported to the valley by helicopter and from there to the Institute of of Forensic Medicine in Innsbruck (Austria). Excavation in the ice unearthed more sensational finds.

Excavation in Snow and Ice

5 days after Otzi was discovered an archaeologist was consulted. He was Professor. Add More

The World 5,000 Years Ago

Europe: High standard of civilisation, sparsely populated, no cities. Sophisticated modern measurement techniques have confirmed that Otzi lived between 3350 and 3100 BC. Stonehenge had not yet been built in England. The pyramids of Giza would no be constructed for another 600 years. In Europe the copper age was dawning.

The country was sparsely populated, with forests and marshes dominating the landscape. Human settlements were scattered like islands linked by paths. Around 30 to 60 people lived in a copper age village, engaging mainly in farming and animal husbandry.

The Age of the Iceman settlement & Society 5000 Years Ago

Most settlements were established by people on the top of hills in the Alps. Several generations of a family lived in the wooden houses. North of the Alps there were "pile dwellings" around the lakes. People built platforms above damp ground or the surface of water and each house had its own fireplace.

In the village of Arbon Beiche, Switzerland, 27 houses were discovered. The village was abandoned after a fire in 3370 BC. The cultural group known as Isera-Tamins-Carasso lived in the Alps between Trentino, Italy and Graubunden and the Ticino in Switzerland.

They used similar pottery objects and had a similar way of life. The region was divided into smaller groups with central assembly and ritual places. The size of each territory was around 8-25 sq km. A group of villages (each having about thirty households of a nuclear family or several generations would from a territory.

How did Otzi's Body remain Intact?

Preserved in a cool, moist state in a gully. The body was preserved thanks to a chain of extraordinary coincidences. Otzi died high up in the eternally cold glacier region where he remained laying in a protective gully.

The mummification process began. When winter set in, Otzi was covered by a layer of snow and he remained deep-frozen. Over the course of centuries the glacial ice continued to flow above him, but he remained protected, because the gully ran right-angled to the flow of the Glacier.

What's so special about Otzi?

Until September 1991 scientists could only reconstruct the Neolithic period on the basis of relatively scanty remains, ie: skeletons, burial sites and burial objects. Otzi, however, lay as he died and is perfectly preserved as a wet mummy complete with clothing and equipment.

Wet mummies are very rare and-and if they are well preserved-exceedingly valuable. Otzis's skin, eyes, tissue, internal organs, even the contents of his intestines, are all intact. Otzi gives us insights into an age we thought had been lost forever.

What's did Otzi look like?

Otzi is a modern human, a homo sapiens sapiens. Dressed in modern attire he wouldn't look out of place in a modern setting. He was about 1.60 m tall [5.3"] had size 38 feet and weighed about 50 kg - average statistics in the Copper Age .

Today, however, the mummy weighs only 13 kg and has shrunken to 1.54 m. Otzi had blue eyes. He had shoulder-length dark brown hair which he wore loose. When he smiled, he revealed a large gap between his upper incisors.

Was Otzi alone?
Several small parasites were found

Probably the oldest deer louse ever found came from animal hair samples taken from Otzi's burial objects. Deer louse flies are blood-sucking parasites that mainly infest wild animals but occassionally people as well. Despite detailed examinations, no lice were found on Otzi's hair. However, two human fleas were found on his clothing and whipworm eggs in his gut.

Medical examinations
Medical examinations provided unique comparative data

For the first time in the history of medicine it was possible to apply the most modern examination methods to a 5000-year-old mummy. T scans provided three-dimensional images and made it possible to construct an accurate model of Otzi's skull.

Deformations caused by the pressure of the ice were visible. For the endoscopic examinations a special titanium instrument was developed which took snapshots of the inside of Otzi's body. Samples were taken and sent to laboratories around the world.

Stone Age Stress
Otzi showed typical signs of aging and had been exposed to severe stress.

Otzi was not in good health when he died. His joints were the worse for wear, his blood vessels had hardened, his teeth were worn, his gut was infested with Whipworm. One of his fingernails, which were found during a later excavation, showed he suffered from, a chronic disease.

What's more deep furrows across the nail revealed that Otzi's immune system had ben exposed to severe stress around 8, 13 and 16 weeks before his death He also had well-healed rib fractures and a broken nose.

Stone Age Treatment
Tattoos for alleviating pain.

Otzi had around 60 tattoos on his body. Unlike modern tattoos, they were not formed by pinpricks but rather by fine cuts. They were located precisely in those areas where Otzi's skeleton showed signs of wear, presumably causing a great deal of pain: his spine, right knee, calves and ankles.

Severing fine neural fibres can help to relieve pain. Otzi's tattoos were probably intended for treating pain and not as body ornamentation.

How do we know when Otzi lived?
Carbon 14 dating showed Otzi lived over 5000 years ago

The period that Otzi lived was determined radio-carbon dating. The atmosphere contains the radioactive isotope C14, which finds its way into animals and people via photosynthesis and the food chain. WHen we die the supply of C14 in our bodies undergoes radioactive decay-but only very slowly and at a precise rate.

The amount remaining can be measured. For example, half of the original amount remains after 5730 years. Such measurements showed that Otzi lived between 3350 and 3100 BC.

Why was Otzi travelling in the high Mountains?
Travelling northward into familiar territory

People eat the time already had a large radius of movement and engaged in trade over long distances. They were familiar with the high mountains, where they searched for copper ore and grazed their goats and sheep in summer.

Even today shepard's from Italy's Schnals Valley drive their sheep across the Austrian border to high-lying Alpine pastures. It is the same pass Otzi travelled on his final journey. Was he fleeing towards a region he knew well? Was he a nomadic shepard.

Why is he named Otzi?
Otzi's name is dervided from the Oztal Alps

"This dried-out, gruesome looking corpse must be made more lovable to make a good story", wrote the Viennese journalist Karl Wendl. In hi snewspaper report he dubbed the mummy Otzi from the Oztal Alps where he was found.

Soon the nickname was around the world. Offically and in scientific papers the glacial mummy is known as the Iceman

Where did Otzi live?
Was Otzi a member of the first independent Alpine cultural group?

Otzi lived south of the Main Alpine ridge. This is indicated by pollen, teeth and wood analysis as well as his flints, which came from the Lake Garda region, and his axe whose shape is known from the Remedello culture on the Po plains.

Otzi could have been a member of the Tamins-Carrasso-Isera 5 Alpine cultural group, which settled in the Vinschgau Valley. If only Otzi had also taken along a piece of stoneware or ceramic with him, a clear regional classification would have been possible, as every cultural group had a unique way of shaping, decorating and firing clay

Expert in Woods?
Otzi used an incredible variety of woods that were specifically chosen for the purpose at hand.

Otzi's equipment was made of natural materials such as leather, wood and grass. The variety of the woods used is astonishing.

Evidently the most suitable was selected for each item: tough resin-free yew for the bow, and the axe haft, straight-grained wood from wayfaring tree for arrow shafts, hard ash for the dagger handle, resilient hazel for the bent pack frame.

People of the Copper Age had a detailed knowledge of materials, much of which has been lost to our modern civilisation.

Perfect Equipment
Otzi carried a set of equipment complete with tools and repair material

Otzi carried with him everything he needed to kindle a camp fire and fashion weapons. His equipment allowed him to remain away from his home for long periods. In his belt pouch he carried tinder for starting fires as well as flint blades and drills.

A touch-up tool served to resharpen the blades. He carried a dagger in a finely braided bast scabbard hanging from his belt, where it was always to hand. His quiver contained animal sinews, a bundle of antler tips and 14 arrow shafts, two of which were ready to shoot and 12 unfinished. The bow was also unfinished.

The Copper Axe - Weapon or Symbol?
Otzi's copper-bladed axe: status symbol, weapon or tool?

Otzi best item was his copper axe. it is unique in being the only perfectly preserved prehistoric axe in the world. Because of the soft copper cutting edge, it was initially assumed that the the axe was an emblem of rank, a status symbol of a warrior or chieftain which only the elite could carry.

However, wear patterns on the axe and experiments with a reconstructed axe showed that Otzi's axe was capable of felling trees.

When did Otzi die?
Pollen and plant show that Otzi died in early summer.

Otzi's equipment included two birch-bark vessels, one of which he used to carry embers. He wrapped pieces of charcoal in freshly picked maple leaves, which grow in the region between June and September. Hop hornbeam pollen was found in his gut.

Pollen grains are ingested indirectly with the food we eat and the air we breathe. The Hop hornmeam flowers in June. Thus Otzi must have died in early summer.

What was Otzi's diet like?
Otzi still had meat and plants in his gut.

About 12 hours before meeting his death, Otzi had eaten meat and various plants, mainly cereal. Charcoal particles were also found in his intestine. They show that his meal had been cooked on an open fire.

In Otzi's time cereals were staple that was complemented by other plants such as sloes, crab apples, mushrooms, berries, and pulses. other objects from Otzi's find included sinews, hides, horn and bones, bearing witness to animal husbandry and hunting at the time.

Otzi's Death-a Case of Homicide?
Otzi was fatally wounded by an arrow in his back.

Otzi died from an arrow wound. For a long time the arrowhead remained hidden. It was not discovered until 2001 when new X-rays were analysed. The arrowhead had been shot from behind and from a considerable distance.

It penetrated the left shoulder but was stopped by tissue just short of the left lung. Otzi lost a great deal of blood. His wound was agonising painful and his left arm was probably paralysed. He struggled with death for hours. No trace of the culprit has been found.

High-tech Methods for a Mummy
Preservation by reproducing conditions in the ice.

For over 5000 years, Otzi lay encased in glacial ice, where he was protected from light in a chilled, humid state. These conditions must be artificially maintained in order to preserve this unique find for science and research.

A cooling system unique in the world was developed which also allows the mummy to be displayed to the public. To prevent the mummy from drying out, it is sprayed with water, causing a fine ice layer to form on the surface.

Homeward to Bolzano
Otzi is housed and displayed at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.

For six years Otzi remained in the care of Innsbruck University. In 1998 he returned to the country from which he had set out on his final journey. Since then his resting place has been the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, which has interactive multimedia stations, events and research throughout the year.

Here Otzi lies in semi- darkness and closely monitored, Fascinated, amazed but also strangely moved, visitors from all corners of the globe come to behold a witness from their own past.

Why was Otzi shot?
Otzi was the victim of a violent quarrel.

Otzi was evidently fleeing. This is indicated, for example, by his unfinished pieces of equipment. Before he met his death, Otzi quickly tried to fashion a new bow and several arrows. A deep cut in his right hand reveals that he had been in hand-to-hand combat shortly before his death.

The reason for the shot in the back remains unknown. A tribal war? A personal conflict? A raid? None of Otzi's equipment, not even his copper-bladed axe was stolen. Was the fight about a herd of sheep or goats?

Graves, Religion, Cults

In the Southern Alps the dead were buried with complex rituals under rock shelters in single, double or collective graves together with everyday items such as weapons and jewellery. Two such burial sites, Moretta patone and Nogarole in Italy, were also used as places of ancestor worship by the living.

Single burial within stone tombs was also practised in the Alps and also in Switzerland where there were large megalithic tombs used by several generations of people. Worship also occurred around standing stones (menhirs) often carved to represent female or male figures. These appear to have been cult sites for whole communities.

Other rituals were carried out in mysterious places made sacred by nature such as the crevice on the mountains top of Pigion, Italy, where warm air from inside the earth rises to form a mist. Animals and tools were burnt here as offerings.

Graves, Religion, Cults

In the Southern Alps the dead were buried with complex rituals under rock shelters in single, double or collective graves together with everyday items such as weapons and jewellery. Two such burial sites, Moretta Patone and Nogarole in Italy, were also used as places of ancestor worship by the living.

Single burial within stone tombs was also practised in the Alps and also in Switzerland where there were large megalithic tombs used by several generations of people

Worship occurred around standing stones (mehirs) often carved to represent female or male figures. These appear to have been cult sites for whole communities. Other rituals were carried out in mysterious places made sacred by nature such as a crevice on the mountain top of Piglon, Italy, where warm air from inside the earth rises to form mist. Animals and tools were burnt here as offerings.

The Bow - a Deadly Weapon
The unfinished yew bow - accurate and absolutely deadly.

The 1.82 m (6 ft) long yew bow was a good 20cm (8 in) taller than Otzi. The bow was not yet finished. It lacked a grip as well as notches into which the end loops of the bowstring would fit. Nor had Otzi had a chance to smooth and oil the bow before he was killed. Experiments have shown that such a bow can easily kill prey from a distance of 30 to 50 m. From 30 m the arrow passed clean through a deer.