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Iceman

Reconstruction of Ötzi the Iceman, flanked by the tattoo experiment which is believed to replicate how the originals were created. Source: Deter-Wolf et al., Exarc, 2022; Mannivu / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Does Ötzi the Iceman Have History’s Oldest Hand-Poked Tattoos?

Over five millennia have passed since Ötzi the Iceman was struck down by an arrow from an unknown assailant in the frigid northern regions of the Alps. But still the ancient frozen body has secrets...
Ötzi Tyrolean Iceman continues to be a perplexing mystery in the realm of archaeology. Source: YouTube screenshot/Ancient Geographic

Ötzi the Iceman: The Archaeological Discovery that Changed Everything (Video)

In the unforgiving terrain of the Alps, a 5,300-year-old saga unfolds as the Tyrolean Iceman, Ötzi , succumbs to a calculated act of violence . Shot from a distance, an arrow pierces him, severing a...
Otzi the Iceman as he was found. (Public Domain)

Was Otzi the Iceman a Victim of Human Sacrifice? (Video)

Otzi , the famous Iceman discovered high in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, presents a perplexing mystery in the realm of archaeology. It was long believed Otzi had been murdered, but recent investigations...
The upper body of Ötzi, protruding from the ice in the Tisenjoch pass on September 19, 1991. Photo: Helmut Simon. Used with kind permission from Erika Simon. Source: Erika Simon/SAGE Journals

Ötzi the Iceman Took a Posthumous Ride on River of Ice Water

A new proposal by researchers of the oldest known naturally mummified corpse, better known as Ötzi the Iceman, questions both the time and place of his death. New analysis points towards the time of...
Left, Ötzi’s bowstring; Right, The Iceman's reconstruction by Alfons & Adrie Kennis Source: © South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology / H. Wisthaler;  Right -Ochsenreiter

Ice Age Hunger Gamer Ötzi’s Bowstring Is Identified

A length of cordage discovered alongside the 5,300-year-old body of ´Ötzi the Iceman´, the ancient hunter who was frozen high in the Dolomites has been found to be a string for his wooden hunting bow...
Reconstruction of Otzi the Iceman by Alfons & Adrie Kennis. (Thilo Parg/CC BY SA 3.0) View looking down westwards to the Ötzi site. (J.H. Dickson et al)

Moss Reveals New Route For Otzi's Death Walk

His 5,300-year-old mummy contained traces of 75 plant species and reveal that Ötzi (Otzi) the Iceman climbed through the Schnalstal valley in Italy. The naturally mummified, 5,300-year-old corpse is...
Otzi reconstructed

Evidence From Ötzi Tells Us He Came From a Caring Bunch Who Dabbled in Medicine

There has long been speculation about the purpose of the tattoos on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old mummy, who was discovered by some German tourists in the Oetz Valley, Austria, in...
Ötzi Memorial, Austria (GFDL), Ötzi Arrow (Wierer et al), Ötzi Reconstruction (CC BY SA 3.0 )

The Final Days of Otzi: Stone Tools Reveal What the Iceman Endured

Stone tools found with a 5,300-year-old frozen mummy from Northern Italy reveal how alpine Copper Age communities lived, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Ursula...
Ötzi or Kelab as portrayed by Jürgen Vogel in Der Mann aus dem Eis (Iceman).

Ötzi the Iceman Becomes a Movie

Inspired by Ötzi’s fascinating story for survival, German filmmaker Felix Randau attempts to revive the life of the most famous natural mummy in history though a feature film. Der Mann aus dem Eis (...
A cross-shaped tattoo on Ötzi's knee.

Acupuncture for the Iceman: Did Ötzi Get Inked for Health?

Ötzi the iceman was discovered in the Oetz Valley, Austria, in 1991 by some German tourists. When this 5,300-year-old mummy was first found it was believed the frozen corpse belonged to a soldier who...
Reconstruction of the face of Ötzi

When Your Ancestral Forefather Is a Mummy: 19 Descendants of 5,300-Year-Old Ötzi the Iceman Identified In Austria

Those who are lucky enough to have well-kept family records may be able to trace their history back several generations. Some can even track family connections going back a few centuries. But what if...
Naturalistic reconstruction of Ötzi - South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.

Did Ötzi the Iceman Actually Freeze to Death?

A new study suggests that Ötzi the Tyrolean Iceman died of exposure to freezing temperatures in the Italian Alps. Researchers claim that his body and head injuries were most likely made during some...
Otzi Speaks: Scientists Reconstruct Voice of 5,300-Year-Old Iceman

Otzi Speaks: Scientists Reconstruct Voice of 5,300-Year-Old Iceman

Scientists have made the best approximation of the voice of Otzi the Iceman, the world-famous mummy who met a violent death in the mountains of Austria around 5,300 years ago. His voice was...
5,800-Year-Old Snowshoe Kept in Office as a Keepsake by its Finder is Oldest in the World

5,800-Year-Old Snowshoe Kept in Office as a Keepsake by its Finder is Oldest in the World

A crude snowshoe dating back about 5,800 years has been turned over to authorities after an Italian cartographer found it near where the ice mummy of Otzi the Iceman, a Neolithic hunter slain some...
This photo of Ötzi’s clothing was taken by Niall O Sullivan of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman.

5,300-Year-Old Otzi the Iceman Was Wearing Clothing from Five Separate Animal Species

Otzi the Iceman, a mummy found in 1991 on a glacier in the Tyrolean Alps, was clothed in a bearskin cap, goatskin leggings, sheepskin coat, cow skin shoes and a deerskin quiver when he was killed in...
Women of Rennell Island in the Solomons, drawn by Norman H. Hardy

Ancient Tattoos: Archaeologists find Blood and Pigments on 3,000-Year-Old Obsidian

Australian archaeologists have examined prehistoric obsidian tools from the Nanngu site in the Solomon Islands and have determined they may have been used for tattooing people. The 3,000-year-old...
Conservation of Ötzi, the Iceman.

Making the Dead Speak: Scientists Plan to Recreate the Voice of Otzi the Iceman

Italian scientists are attempting to give Ötzi the Iceman a voice. By using CT scans of his throat and the tissue around his voice box, the researchers believe there is a chance to recreate the...
The Iceman's hand.

Further Tales of the Family of the Iceman Come to Light

Just last week it became known that the Iceman (also known as Ötzi) was infected with the bacterium H. pylori when he was killed. Now, researchers looking at his mtDNA have pinpointed the origins of...
Reconstruction of the Iceman. Prehistory Museum of Quinson, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France.

Stomach Troubles for the Iceman: How Otzi Continues to Provide Information About the Past

Ötzi, the Copper Age man, continues to tell tales of our homo sapien past. Now, an international team of scientists including paleopathologist Albert Zink and microbiologist Frank Maixner from the...
New tattoos on 5,300-year-old Otzi the Iceman mummy

Scientists discover new tattoos on 5,300-year-old Otzi the Iceman mummy

Scientists have discovered four more tattooed lines on ‘Ötzi the Iceman’, a 5,300-year-old mummy, bringing the total number of tattoos to 61. Researchers are still divided over whether the tattoos...
Otzi the Iceman

Otzi's non-human DNA: Opportunistic pathogen discovered in ancient Iceman

Ötzi the iceman, as he has come to be known, is a 5,300-year-old mummy who was discovered by some German tourists in the Alps in 1991. He was originally believed to be the frozen corpse of a...
Otzi the Iceman

5,300-Year-Old Ötzi the Iceman Has 19 Living Relatives In Austria

Most people can trace their family tree back at least a few generations, while the more serious ones are able to accomplish many centuries. But imagine being able to trace your lineage back to a 5,...