Otzi
the Iceman is the modern nickname of a well-preserved natural mummy
of a man believed to of died about 5300 years ago. He was aged in his
forties when he died and roughly 5”2 inches tall.
Perfect weather
conditions allowed for the mummification of the mans body; sun and
wind dried out his body, rocks formed a trench around him which
prevented water from washing his body away forever. He would be
discovered in the same position he died in, over 5000 years later.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
When,where and how the iceman was discovered.
The
Iceman was discovered on September 19, 1991 in a 6-foot to 9-foot
deep gully in the rocks in a glacier of the Otztal Alps near the
border between Austria and Italy. He was discovered accidentally by
two German hikers, Erika and Helmut Simon. They had been hiking at
the time when they stumbled across him.
Iceman's
mummified body.
Bibliography
Links:
Items found with the iceman and how they enhance our knowledge and understanding of the man and the times in which he lived.
Not
only was the iceman discovered in such a well preserved circumstance,
but quite a few of his belongings were as well. It has been discerned
that Otzi carried with him everything he needed to create weapons and
begin a fire. His equipment allowed him to remain away from his home
for long periods of time.
An
astonishingly wide variety of woods were used to create the iceman's
equipment, the most suitable material was selected for each item.
Otzi carried a little flint-tipped dagger with a handle made of ash,
a wood that is still used by artisans to make strong handles for
tools today. The dagger had twin cutting edges, it had been found
inside a finely braided sheath. It has been deduced that the dagger
would have been used as a multipurpose tool, but often to skin
animals, clean hides and cut meat into strips.
The
dagger shows that ancient civilisations used materials thousands of
years ago which modern civilisation use today. Also the discovery and
analysis of Otzi's wooden weapons indicate that people of the late
stone age had detailed knowledge of materials and were very advanced
in this particular field.
Two
pieces of birch fungus were also found with Otzi. It was discovered
that the fungus actually contains antibacterial effect therefore it
was concluded that the birch fungus was used as medicine. Analysis of Otzis stomach revealed that he had whipworm parasite in his stomach,
which explained why he was carrying antibacterial medicine. The use
of the medicine gives an insight of the medical understanding of the
copper age civilians and revealed that they used Birch fungus as an
antibiotic element.
.
Birch fungus found with Otzi.
http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/iceman.html
Changing interpretations of the iceman's cause of death, from the time of his discovery to the present.
Since
its discovery, the iceman mummy has undergone a large amount of
examinations from which scientists have gathered bits of information
about his last steps on Earth, ranging from his last meal (red deer
meat and possibly cereal some 4 hours before his death) to his age
when he died (35-40). The cause of the iceman's death has been under
scrutiny since the discovery and many theories and speculations have
arisen regarding 'what happened'. These theories have developed and
changed throughout the past two decades, some being the iceman being
caught in a storm, an attack from a wild animal, the disaster theory,
a ritual sacrifice and finally homicide. Scientists at first
speculated that Otzi was killed by hypothermia from exposure to the
snow in extreme weather conditions, his body then buried under thick
blankets of snow and ice which would preserve his body.This was
initially presumed because of no obvious physical damages, however
quickly changed. Early x-rays and CAT scans taken Innsbruck appeared
to show broken ribs on the iceman's right side. This discovery gave
way to theories of an attack on the iceman, possibly by a wild animal
that would of had the force to break Otzi's ribs. The disaster theory
ties in with this as it depicts the story of the iceman getting into
an argument or fight with another civilian and receiving broken ribs
during the fight, then fleeing to the alps where he would die of
exhaustion. Further support for this theory is the deep wound on the
iceman's hand discovered through microscopical analysis. It is
believed to have occurred day or two before the 'final blow', this is
known as analysis has proved it had begun to heal before his death.
These theories were set aside when re-examination of the iceman's
body showed that he did not have a broken rib, although the
overlapping of his ribs which would have been bent out of shape after
death, may have given the appearance of a fracture. A new scientific
break through showed evidence of an arrow head embedded in his body.
The theory regarding ritual sacrifice was by a UK space technology
professor from Bristol University and other sources. It was suggested
that the Iceman's death may be connected to the landing of an
asteroid in Austria around 3000 B.C. It was theorised that Ötzi may
have been sacrificed to appease the gods who were responsible for the
asteroid's crash. The asteroid event is reportedly mentioned on an
Assyrian tablet discovered in during the 19th century in northern
Iraq which gives further support to the theory. It is believed that
the iceman could have been buried after the ritual which would
explain why his body was so well preserved from not being exposed to
the elements. Another means of speculation regarding this theory is
the copper axe found with the iceman. It has been suggested that he
ax may have been deliberately left with the body during a ritual of
sacrifice to serve the iceman in the afterlife or as a tribute to the
gods. The most recent theory to date of the iceman's cause of death
has been most supported with distinct medical evidence. The iceman's
body was scanned with computed tomography (CT) and a lesion of an
artery was found near the shoulder, underneath the clavicle bone. It
has been concluded that the iceman's death is a case of homicide. A
single arrowhead was shot at the Otzi the iceman from an attacker
positioned behind and below him. The arrow struck the iceman's left
shoulder blade, the precise area where prehistoric hunters aimed to
bring down wild animals with one shot. The arrow cut through his bone
and pierced the artery, causing blood to instantly gush out and fill
the space between the shoulder blade ribs. The iceman experienced
what is now known as hermorrhagic shock, in the last few minutes of
his life. Through ancient and modern scientific and medical data it
can be divulged that the Iceman's heart would of began to race as
sweat drenched his garments. He would of felt increasingly faint due
to loss of oxygen reaching his brain. In the space of a few minutes,
the Iceman collapsed, lost consciousness, and bled to death. Even
though the cause of death of the Iceman, Otzi, has finally been
revealed with strong scientific and medical evidence. The intentions
of Otzi's killer can never be known however theories regarding this
aspect of his death continue to arise. These theories and
propositions can not be proven without word from the iceman's killer
himself, however aim to suffice human curiosity and search for
knowledge of the past.
Depiction of Iceman's death.
Bibliography
links:
Issues relating to the custodianship and ownership of the iceman and ethics involved in displaying his human remains.
Custodianship and ownership issues have plagued the archaeological world since its early beginnings. These issues have majorly affected the iceman as has the ethical issues in displaying his human remains.
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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