Iceman

On September 9, 1991, a German couple from Nuremberg, Helmut and Erika Simon, were hiking the trails along the Niederjochferner Glacier, at about 3,200 meters in the Otzal Alps, which lie east of the Inn River along the border of Italy and Austria, when they discovered a corpse, the upper part of which protruded from the ice. In the days that followed, some damage to the body occurred from removal attempts by local authorities. But by September 23, the exposed body was wrapped, placed in a coffin, and, together with a bag full of material that had been collected at the site, ultimately delivered for study at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. It was declared a prehistoric find and represented one of the oldest and best-preserved human mummies by freezing ever found. Named “Otzi the Iceman,” after the Otzal Alps where he was found, he immediately became the object of border dispute between Italy and Austria as to his ownership. This was resolved when authorities confirmed that the spot he had been found was located in Italy. After years of study at the University of Innsbruck,Otzi was finally removed to a specially built exhibit in the new Museo Archeologic dell'Alato Adige, in Bolzano, Italy. His body was placed in a special chamber, which can be viewed through a small porthole kept at a constant 6°C and a humidity rate of99%.

After many revisions of data and rejections of initial hypotheses, current findings concerning the Iceman's body and possessions are emerging. Articles found on or near the body included a longbow, a quiver containing the makings of arrows, an axe, knife, a wooden-framed backpack, two bark containers, and a belt pouch.

The smooth and weathered handle of the axe was made of yew, with a metal blade inserted into the notch of the handle and tied with a strip of leather. Analysis of the axe blade revealed that it was not bronze, as had been hypothesized, but almost pure copper, with traces of arsenic and silver. According to radiocarbon dating, the Iceman died around 3300BCE, in the New Stone Age or Neolithic period. It rendered inaccurate much of what archaeologists previously thought they knew about the people and culture of this region and gave greater insight into the Stone Age. The axe was an advanced design that was thought to be in use around 2000 BCE, when the people of the southern Alps still relied on stone for most of their tools. Revisions now needed to be made concerning the advanced stage of Stone Age man and the date of the Copper Age.

The remnants of a quiver, now recognized as the oldest-surviving one in the world, have been described as made of “bald skin,” but possibly had originally been made of fur, as there were some hairs wedged in a side seam. A wooden rod stitched onto the side of the quiver with a piece of leather gave shape to it. The top flap of the quiver had been ripped off, exposing the ends of 14 unfinished arrow shafts, 2 of which had feathers attached, together with 2 attached flint arrowheads. Also inside were wrapped four pieces of stag antler, probably destined to be fashioned into arrowheads. The bow was fractured, and the carrying strap for the quiver missing, as was the hood closure; three arrow shafts were broken, and one arrowhead was broken—all yet to be explained as to their condition. Before this discovery, scientists had not known with certainty that people had used quivers at this time.

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