The Ice Man - Research Paper

Introduction

The Ice Man, also known as Otzi is a mummified ancient human body that was discovered on the Similaun Glacier in the Tirolean in the Otztal Alps by a German tourist known as Helmut Simon. The remains were found near the border between Austria and on September 19, 1991 (Bonani et al. 1994). The remains have also been referred to using different names such as the Hauslabjoch mummy, the Tyrolean Iceman, the Similaun Man, the Iceman and the Man from Hauslabjoch. As stated by Wolfgang et al (2003), the well-preserved mummy is believed to have existed between 3400 and 3100 BCE. In addition, he is the oldest known human mummy in Europe today that has offered an insightful study of the Copper Age to the Europeans. However, there are more striking discoveries that have since made concerning the mummy since its discovery and as such; the study seeks to examine some of the most important facts concerning Otzi.

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To begin with, through radiocarbon dating, it has been discovered that the remains belong to a man whose age was between 25 and 45. Furthermore, the man must have been close to 5 feet 2 inches or 1.6 meters tall and is said to have been weighing 110 pounds or 50 kilograms. According to Neill (2004), scientists thought that the man must have become a victim of exposure as he was crossing the Alps and hence died due to freezing. Nevertheless, in 2001, X-ray examination revealed an arrowhead that was logged into his left shoulder meaning that the Iceman must have died due to bleeding after being shot. Moreover, he laid down to die in a small rocky hollow which was covered by ice that was melting approximately 5,300 years later allowing his body to be discovered by the modern man. The nickname, Otzi was given to him as a result of the point where he was discovered, the Otztal Alps.

Furthermore, researchers believed at first that the Iceman was not attacked by any diseases but in 2007, they discovered infections such as whipworm and arthritis on his body although these did not cause his death. As stated by Farid (2005), it was discovered that at one time, Otzi had broken several of his ribs as well as his nose. Interestingly, he had several remains of scalp hairs and these were used by archaeologists to come up with evidence concerning ancient haircutting. In addition to this, he had short blue marks on his lower skin covering his right ankle, left leg and lower spine and these have been perceived by archaeologists as evidence of earliest forms of tattoos (Deter-Wolf et al., 2016). However, some people tend to think that these were scars emanating from the ancient Neolithic therapeutic procedure. Ortiz also had some remarkable accouterments and clothes which formed the gear of Neolithic traveler.

The clothing used by the Iceman was a fur robe that was stitched together in an unlined manner made from deerskin, chamois, and ibex. Further, a furry cap and a woven grass cap were used to protect himself from the cold in the Alps while his shoes were made of stuffed with grass and leather (Romey, 2016). According to Petraglia et al. (2018) observe, a small chopper blade axe, 14 viburnum arrows, a piece of dogwood, and a flint dagger with a wooden handle made part of his tools. Furthermore, two of his dogwoods had feathers and flint points and he also had a bow made from yew, a fur arrow quiver and a grass net that was apparently used as a sack. Some other tools that were later discovered around his residence include a U-shaped wooden frame that he must have used as a backpack for carrying his other tools and a leather pouch.

When it comes to feeding, Otzi's food supply included mushrooms, blueberry and gnawed ibex bones. Otzi has been preserved up-to-date courtesy of the existing extraordinary circumstances. Throughout this period, he has been able to influence the store of knowledge little by little despite being discovered accidentally together with his equipment and clothes by hikers in 1991 (McMahon, 2005). Since that period, the mummies, as well as the area he was found, have become subjects of intensive research. Noteworthy, the mummy is older the Egyptian pyramids since he lived during late Neolithic which is a period known as the Copper Age. Although he used mostly the stone tools, a very valuable and innovative copper axe was discovered as part of his tools and equipment. During the period of his existence, the metal extraction skills had just been imported from Asia Minor into Europe. In addition, the introduction of copper marked the beginning of the Bronze Age.

According to Deem (2008), the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano in Italy is the venue where the mummies alongside his tools and equipment have been displayed. A specially constructed cold shell is the place where the mummy is stored and there is a small window through which he can be viewed. On the other hand, his artifacts and clothes have also been carefully stored and visitors are reported to be amazed by the skills exhibited by these tools showing the technology of the Stone Age. Noteworthy, an Australian journalist, Karl Wendl was responsible for the mummy's nickname which he gave him because he thought was catchy (Chwaszcza & Bell 1993). However, as aforementioned, the name refers to the site where the mummy was discovered, Otztal Valley Alps. More interestingly, due to the elevation of the area where the mummy was found which was 10,530 feet; the hikers thought that it was the remains of a mountaineer who was lost.

Scientists employed the use of radiocarbon dating to discover the age of Ortiz and found out that he must have disappeared in the Alps approximately 5,300 years earlier. Astonishingly, the ice coverings that preserved him was so strong such that most of his body parts including the brain, eyeballs, penis, pubic hair and some internal organs remained intact (D'Estries, 2018). Ever since his discovery in 1991, Otzi has become a celebrity, especially in the scientific field since he has been able to provide numerous insights as well as leading people into forming assumptions concerning the ancient world. Researchers have thus been able to discover numerous secrets from the mummy including his belongings and the possible causes of his death which has also been termed as unusual. For instance, the scientists who analyzed his bone and tissue samples discovered that he might have died at the age of 45 between 3239-3107 B.C.

The Late Neolithic period when the Iceman died coincides with the discovery of the wheel, the rise of agriculture and advancements in astronomy and mathematics. The tools that were used by the mummy were made from opaque and dark silica-based rock known as chert. However, the use-wear analysis and the CT analysis revealed that Otzi never got access to lots of chert and as such, instead of being replaced, most of his tools were worn down and re-sharpened with time. Lack of access to a lot of chert posed a big problem to Otzi during his last days which were apparently problematic since he could not integrate or repair his weapons, more importantly, his arrow. Noteworthy, there were freshly modified blade tools that lacked any form of wear and this showed that the man must have had planned work. Apparently, however, the work was never carried out possibly courtesy of the events that occurred prior to his death. The materials used to make the tools emanated from three different areas in the Southalpine region reflecting the Swiss Horgen and Italian culture and thus the possibility of interaction with other transalpine people.

As aforementioned, the amazing preservation of ice enabled the researchers to discover a lot of things due to the intactness of the body. As a result, his lower intestines and the stomach were able to be analyzed to reveal the last meal that he took prior to his death. The researchers found out that the man took einkorn grain with mixed goat and deer meat only 8 hours before he died. In 2011, another stomach analysis was carried out on Otzi and this showed that he ate a meal of ibex, more grain and wild goat meat. Recently in 2018, a study showed that he had a large proportion of fat in his meal supplemented with dried and fresh wild goat meat, ferns, and grains. The analysis of his last diet also served as an indicator of the time of the year when Otzi died. For a long time, some researchers had stated that the mummy must have been swept away by the summer storm but since the discovery of pollen from the hop hornbeam tree, the idea has been criticized. The reason behind this is that this species of plant which majorly grows in the valley below the spot where Otzi was discovered blooms only between March and June.

Additionally, a sign of medicine was found with Otzi since he carried birch fungus tied onto narrow strips of hiding. The medicine was found together with his clothing and contains both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds. Thus, this is well known for its medicinal value and is known to kill whipworms which were discovered in his colon. When consumed by Otzi, the birch fungus has the ability to kill many parasites and also remove their eggs from the stomach. More importantly, scientists have named this the oldest medical kit that has ever been discovered. Prior to the discovery of the mummy and his copper axe that was beautifully preserved. Scientists believed that humans by 3500 B.C. did not have any form of technology. The axe has a blade 9.5 centimeter long and is made from the yew tree (Squires 2017). Furthermore, the blade is entirely made of almost pure copper and could have been used both as a tool for tree felling and a weapon.

Although there is not enough evidence pointing out to the exact cause of the death of Otzi, the available physical evidence shows that there was violence when he died. Deep cuts were found by the researchers who carried out the examination of his wounds. The cuts were on his arms and are said to have originated from combat days or even hours prior to his death. In addition, the scientists discovered a flint arrowhead that had been shot into his left arm causing a severe wound that also affected the artery and must have caused severe bleeding leading to Otzi's death in only a few minutes (Alok 2007). In addition, a fatal impact to the back of his head was discovered by scientists who studied a scan on his cerebrum in 2013 but it has not been established whether it was from a fall after being shot by the arrow or from a different event.

The new imaging technology was applied by researchers to analyze the tattoos that were discovered on Otzi's body in 2015. According to Fowler (2001), a total of 61 different marks were found on his body concentrated majorly around his lower back and his joints. Furthermore, it was discovered that the markings might have resulted from cutting of the skin and rubbing with charcoal. On the other hand, some scientists theorize that they might have been therapeutic. As such, many people have been made to believe that the marks found on Otzi represent a rudimentary form of acupuncture. Furthermore, the main reason as to why Otzi might have sought after acupuncture treatment is that he had Lyme disease. Lyme disease is infected through infected ticks and in most cases. It leads to continuous joint pain, fatigue, and headaches. Further, the DNA scan showed that Otzi had brown hair and eyes and was intolerant to lactose and finally, his blood was type-O.

In the recent past, researchers have published reports in the Scientific Reports journal providing the details of where different clothes that were found on Otzi might have come from. The garments included shoelaces made of cow leather, a hat made from brown bear, goat hide leggings, and a coat that emanated from a mixture of goat and sheep hides. More importantly, the style exhibited by these garments as well as their functionality reveals...