• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Anthropology

Rewriting the story of Ötzi, the Alps ice man

Dario Radley by Dario Radley
November 7, 2022
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Linkedin.Share on RedditShare on Whatsapp

The 31-year-old find of the Alps iceman has been studied once more. While Ötzi is unique, the conditions that preserved it are not, according to the researchers.

Rewriting the story of Ötzi, the Alps ice man
Ötzi the ice mummy. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

In September 1991, two German tourists exploring the Tyrolean Alps between Italy and Austria discovered a human corpse. Archaeologists later revealed the body, which had been shot in the back with an arrow, was around 5,300 years old. The body had been preserved for centuries by the ice, snow, sun, wind, and other conditions of the high-alpine environment.

The ice mummy known as Ötzi, is one of the world’s oldest and best preserved mummies. When archaeologists first began to ponder the conditions that preserved Ötzi, one accepted theory was that the iceman was running away from something or someone, probably a conflict, and decided to hide out in the mountains. He died there and was quickly buried in the winter snow. Ötzi fell into a shallow gully, which protected him from glacier movement.

31 years after the discovery, a new study suggests that everything archaeologists thought they knew about the 5,300-year-old corpse’s preservation was incorrect. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from Norway, Switzerland, and Austria, was published in the journal “The Holocene.”

Reconstruction of what Ötzi would have looked like.
Reconstruction of what Ötzi would have looked like. Credit Mannivu, CC BY-SA 4.0

Archaeologists and glaciologists have discovered that the original explanation of how Ötzi was preserved for so long has not stood the test of time and that the official story must be rewritten.

RelatedStories

Prehistoric animal remains in Iran's Wezmeh Cave reveal ancient Zagros ecosystems

Prehistoric animal remains in Iran’s Wezmeh Cave reveal Zagros biodiversity

May 27, 2025
17,000-year-old skeleton reveals earliest evidence of Stone Age ambush and human conflict

17,000-year-old skeleton reveals earliest evidence of Stone Age ambush and human conflict

May 25, 2025

Based on radiocarbon dating and other analyses of the leaves, seeds, moss, grass, and dung found near his body, researchers believe Ötzi actually died in the spring, rather than the fall, which implies his corpse was exposed during the summer.

Because some of these organic materials were found to be younger than Ötzi, the researchers believe the site was open to the air on multiple occasions during the last 5,300 years. This all points to a different story: Ötzi was regularly exposed to the elements.

Lars Pilø, an archaeologist with the Oppland County Glacier Archaeological Program in Norway, and colleagues has reviewed the available research on Ötzi.

“The big test is to imagine that Ötzi was found today,” says Pilø to ScienceNorway. “With everything we now know about how glacial archaeological localities work, would anybody have come up with this theory? The answer to that is no. We don’t need the string of miracles, Ötzi was preserved by regular natural processes.”

The new study also examined the complete find and the find site in light of current glacial archaeology understanding and methodology. Finally, glaciologists compared old and newer maps, as well as mountain height charts, to determine how thick the ice covering Ötzi actually was.

Though in 1990s, researchers thought Ötzi’s preservation was a fluke, that now seems not to be the case. “The find circumstances of Ötzi are quite normal for glacial archaeology,” the researchers write in their paper. “The chances of finding another prehistoric human body in a similar topographical setting should therefore be higher than previously believed, since a string of special circumstances is not needed for the preservation of this type of find, and relevant locations are now affected by heavy melt events.”

Since Ötzi’s discovery, archaeologists have found numerous human bodies, horse remains, skis, hunting gear, and other historic items in melting glaciers.

More information: Pilø, L., Reitmaier, T., Fischer, A., Barrett, J. H., & Nesje, A. (2022). Ötzi, 30 years on: A reappraisal of the depositional and post-depositional history of the find. The Holocene, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836221126133
Share1Tweet1ShareShareSend

You May Also Like...

British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet
Archaeology

British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet

June 30, 2025
Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome
Archaeology

Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome

June 30, 2025
DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük
Anthropology

DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük

June 29, 2025
Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier
Archaeology

Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier

June 28, 2025
Ancient Roman breakwater found off Bacoli shows ingenious engineering at imperial fleet base
Archaeology

Ancient Roman breakwater found off Bacoli shows ingenious engineering at imperial fleet base

June 28, 2025
40,000-year-old mammoth tusk boomerang found in Poland may be the oldest in the world
Archaeology

40,000-year-old mammoth tusk boomerang found in Poland may be the oldest in the world

June 27, 2025

Follow us


Instagram
247K

Facebook
110K

Threads
43K

LinkedIn
12K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Genetic study reveals the origin and diversity of the Huns

European Huns were not of Turkic origin but had ancient Siberian roots, linguistic study reveals

June 24, 2025
Secrets of the mysterious Gobi wall revealed: archaeologists uncover imperial purpose behind 200-mile structure

Secrets of the mysterious Gobi wall revealed: archaeologists uncover imperial purpose behind 200-mile structure

May 28, 2025
Sinkhole in York uncovers remains of medieval St Leonard’s Hospital, one of northern England’s largest

Sinkhole in York uncovers remains of medieval St Leonard’s Hospital, one of northern England’s largest

June 22, 2025
Viking-era boat burial unearthed in Norway reveals 1,100-year-old remains of woman and her dog

Viking-era boat burial unearthed in Norway reveals 1,100-year-old remains of woman and her dog

June 9, 2025
$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius' eruption

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado's expedition

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado’s expedition

British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet

British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet

June 30, 2025
Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome

Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome

June 30, 2025
DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük

DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük

June 29, 2025
Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier

Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier

June 28, 2025
Ancient Roman breakwater found off Bacoli shows ingenious engineering at imperial fleet base

Ancient Roman breakwater found off Bacoli shows ingenious engineering at imperial fleet base

June 28, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to improve your experience and enable functionality and security of this site. Further detail is available in our Privacy Policy. By accepting all cookies, you consent to our use of cookies and use of data.