The discovery of the Iceman in 1991 on the border between italy and Austria began a six-year dispute over who had the rights to the body. The battle over custody came to a resolve when authorities identified that the bodies find spot was in italy. This meant that italy could claim the Iceman, exhibit him in a museum and receive financial benefits. Even though the Italians won custodianship on the iceman, the issue wasn't truly settled as many people questioned where Otzi came from. According to Dr Mueller Research and analysis of Otzi's dental enamel, 'made it possible to reconstruct the composition of the water Otzi drank and get clues about the earth where his food was grown'. He states that, 'as a result we now know Otzi came from near to where he was found from the [south Tyrol part of italy]. He spent his childhood there and his adult hood in [the lower part of the italian Tyrol].' This evidence defined the iceman as an early italian and put a close to the custodianship and ownership debate between Italy and Austria.
Another prominent issue regarding the Iceman is that of the ethics involved in displaying his body. It was debated wether the Iceman's body should be buried on completion of the medical, archaeological and anthropological examination, or conserved and displayed. The decision was made in favour of the exhibition of the body. Many issues have arisen regarding the displaying of the Iceman's body, some claim that it is ethically and morally wrong to display Otzi. They believe the right thing to do is bury the him where he may rest in peace and be given the humane respect he deserves. It is argued that by displaying him in a museum, his humanity is being stripped away and he is being treated as nothing more than an object of curiosity rather then a deceased human who was once living and breathing just like anybody living in present time. The burial of the iceman may be argued as ethically correct as it gives him the respect he deserves as a fellow member of human kind. On the flip side, many claim that the iceman should be displayed in a museum as he offers an insight into the history of human kind and allows present day society to share in a bit of their ancestral past. It is also claimed that the iceman allows people from all around the world to come together and learn about the past.
Modern depiction of Otzi before death, displayed in museum.
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