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An Institute for the Iceman
Five thousand years ago, the Iceman would never have dreamt that he would be the
subject of an entire EURAC institute. But for research, the Iceman, known also as “Ötzi”,
has turned out to be an indisputable and unique stroke of luck.
More than five thousand years ago, the
man from the ice was hit by an arrow
while crossing the Tisenjoch pass in the
Ötz Valley and left there by his murderers.
Favorable wind and weather quickly
mummified his body, and snow and
ice preserved him in this state until 1991
A.D. At an age of more than five thousand
years, Ötzi is the oldest known “wet
mummy” that has been completely preserved.
This fact alone would have been
sensational enough, because south of the
Alps, there are only half a dozen more or
less poorly preserved buried specimens
from the Copper Age. What makes Ötzi
even more interesting for science, though,
is that he was not buried, but rather he
died precisely the way he was when he set
off into the mountains on foot with his
(everyday) equipment.
The Iceman as a Window into the Past
If Ötzi had been buried, those around him
would certainly have sent him off on his
eternal journey well prepared. He presumably
would have been dressed in festive
garments, would have brought valuable
gifts into the grave with him, and would
have been equipped with a set of finished
tools and weapons, the skillfulness
of which would amaze us today. Or else,
as occurred with other mummies, knowledgeable
contemporaries would perhaps
have rubbed his skin with resins and oils
in order to render his earthly remains less
perishable. But to our good fortune, none
of this happened to Ötzi. Because of his
violent death in the snow, we now know
how a man dealt with his everyday life five
thousand years ago. What did his clothing
look like? They were sewn together out of
different furs, worn for a long time, and
frequently mended. We can observe, as
it were, how skillfully the man was capa-
ble of making weapons even while on the
move, which is why we know today how
and with what hand-tools a bow and arrow
was made. For example, never before
in the field of archaeology was a sharpener
preserved for sharpening flints been
found. Not only has Ötzi handed down to
us how his equipment looked during his
lifetime, he also provided us for the first
time anywhere in the world with the instructions
on how to make a functional
prehistoric weapon.
Our general understanding of European
prehistory, early history and ancient tech-
The Iceman handed down to us how his equipment looked during his lifetime.
FOTO: Manuela Tessaro / South Tyrol Museum Of Archaeology
nology has profited from the enormous
wealth of new knowledge delivered by the
Iceman. And it is not just the archaeological
disciplines, but rather countless other
areas of research that have profited from
Ötzi’s lonely death. Biologists, geologists,
climate researchers, cultural anthropologists,
and many others have obtained
important information that can now be
used as the base data for numerous scientific
fields.
A Catalyst for Present - Day Research
In contrast to many mummies, Ötzi’s un-
treated, deep - frozen body even today
contains still - functioning muscle fibers,
organ and tissue remains, and genetic
material that continues to allow the reconstruction
of part of his hereditary information
even after five thousand years.
The information stored in his DNA still
provides us today with, for example, information
about Ötzi’s origins and the
settlement of Europe.
Above all, view into the past is also provided
by the medical knowledge of the origin
Who is Ötzi?
In 1991, the glacial ice of the Ötztaler Alps
yielded up a 5,300 year - old man from the
Copper Age: mummified, snatched from life
by an arrow, and preserved with all of his objects
of everyday life.
Ötzi, as the Iceman has affectionately been
known since his discovery, has become the
world’s best - known “wet mummy”. Since
being discovered, he has provided essential
scientific data and approaches for research
in anthropology, archaeology, medicine, genetics,
botany, preservation technology, and
many other disciplines.
Since 1998, the Iceman has been receiving
visitors from a refrigerated chamber specially
constructed for him in the South Tyrol Museum
of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy.
of diseases. The analysis of causes of disease
and the comparison with the genetic
makeup of an individual from the Copper
Age can provide important knowledge
for future - oriented pure research that is
wholely directed at one day being able to
heal people with genetically based illnesses.
And Ötzi has also already “helped out”
with several patents in applied research.
While the public was still discussing the
cause of his death, new steel - free surgical
implements made from titanium were
developed thanks to the research on the
Iceman. Today, they are used not only
with Ötzi, but with patients with allergies,
as well. In addition, the mummy has
contributed to the development of laser
procedures in plastic surgery. And preservation
technology for mummies was
in part revolutionized in Bolzano. It is a
great challenge for the state of the art to
also preserve the “wet mummy” for generations
to come.
Ötzi’s Institute
The EURAC Institute for Mummies and
the Iceman will combine all of the results
of research and discoveries that
have been made in various locations in
the sixteen years since Ötzi was found in-
and other mummies in a targeted manner,
carrying them out itself and developing
new procedures. The Institute’s existing
contacts with other mummy research
centers both in Europe and overseas guarantee
a close connection with current research
and modern technologies.
The discovery of Ötzi was more than
just a sensation that has brought people
throughout the world closer to the life
and culture of the Copper Age. It was also
the initial spark for completely new possibilities
for research. The abundance of information
from his body is so great that it
is keeping active a mummy institute that
is unique throughout the entire world.
Katharina Hersel / EURAC
Institute for Mummies and the Iceman
katharina.hersel@eurac.edu
46 Dezember – Dicembre 2007 Dezember – Dicembre 2007 47
South Tyrol Museum Of Archaeology
to a platform of knowledge and also includes
knowledge from research on other
mummies. All ongoing and future research
projects on the Icemant are coordinated
and overseen here. This overview
also makes it possible for the Institute to
initiate plans for future research on Ötzi
The untreated deep - frozen body contains still - functioning muscle fibers, organs and tissue remains.
South Tyrol Museum Of Archaeology