One of the curiosities that we find regarding the evolution of man and its conservation is to Ötzi the ice man. It is about a man who has been preserved in a mummy and who died in 3255 BC. C around 46 years of age. The mummy was found thanks to the expedition of two German mountaineers in the before Ötzal. It is considered the oldest natural human mummy in all of Europe and has become famous because it offers a more detailed view of the humans that existed in the Copper Age.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, discoveries and curiosities of Ötzi the ice man.
Discoveries about Ötzi the Iceman
Scientists have been able to discover the cause of the mummification of the corpse. It is a situation in which the extreme cold that takes place in these before he was able to perpetuate the decomposition of the corpse and mummify it. When the mountaineers found this corpse they believed that it was a modern corpse. It is somewhat more common to find some corpses of other mountaineers who have been trapped in the mountains by the extreme cold. However, it was recovered by the Austrian authorities and a study of its true dating could be made.
The body of Ötzi the Iceman was extensively examined, x-rayed, measured and dated. It is provoked to make analyzes of the finest tissues that could be preserved with the passage of time. The contents of the organs could also be analyzed and was examined under the microscope. In the corpse, remains of pollen found in his clothes from that time could be found. Thanks to the scientific investigation of genome sequencing it was revealed that this The man had brown eyes, an O + blood group, lactose intolerance, and cardiovascular problems.
The estimates that have been given about the morphology of the body of Ötzi the iceman is that his height was approximately 159 centimeters tall, he weighed 50 kilos, he was 46 years old. Thanks to all the research and modern technology, it was discovered that this man suffered from arthritis, cavities, intestinal parasites and Lyme disease. As you can see, thanks to scientific advances, a large amount of information can be obtained from a corpse, although it will be as old as this one.
The information that could be had of the pollen that was in his clothes was of black hornbeam. Black coffee is a tree that blooms in the Alps from March to June and indicates that Ötzi the Iceman died during the spring and early summer.
Scientific analysis
Scientists prepared various in-depth analyzes in order to discover as much information as possible about Ötzi the Iceman. The analysis of the pollen grains, dust and isotopic composition of the enamel of the teeth indicated that he spent his entire childhood near the current town of Velturno.
In the intestinal analyzes it could be shown that there were two recent meals. One of these meals was close to 8 before his death. One of the meals consisted of chamois meat, red deer meat, and more often eaten with some cereal. This cereal was probably a processed bran from cultivated einkorn and that it was surely consumed in the form of bread. In the intestine it was also possible to find some blackthorn seeds which are small plums of the blackthorn tree and some roots.
With the pollen that the first meal was found, it was possible to demonstrate that it was consumed in a medium-altitude coniferous forest. Other pollens indicated the presence of wheat and legumes that could be harvested through domestic fields. Analyzing even more the amount of pollen found, it was possible to discover pollen grains of hornbeam. It could be found in perfect condition and they had intact cells inside. This indicated that it was a fresh pollen and that it was freshly impregnated at the time of Ötzi's death than the Iceman.
It should be noted that the harvest in the late summer and the sloes in the fall must have been stored from the previous year. Many of the mummy's tissues were damaged by temperatures and changes resulting from body transport. These problems made further analysis difficult and made it impossible to understand these tissues. A large amount of information can be extracted from mummies as long as their state of conservation is very good. The slightest change in temperature or environmental conditions can degrade tissues to such high levels that they cannot be identified.
Ötzi the iceman and his latest actions
Thanks to the discovery of the substances that were in the corpse, it was possible to know the last actions of Ötzi the iceman before he died. From what is seen, this man tried to heal something such as a cut on his hand using moss. This could be verified with the remains found in the body. This person may have known about the clotting properties of a certain bog moss and applied it to the wound. Possibly, after ingesting the food that we have previously mentioned, part of that moss reached the digestive system. All this can be important elements to consider since it was vitally important that this man had rudimentary knowledge of the properties of the plants around him.
They were also found 68 tattoos on the left wrist, 2 on the lower back, 5 on the right leg and two on the left leg. They are small groups of parallel stripes that do not form a recognizable pattern. In order to know that Ötzi the ice man suffered from arthritis in these areas, X-rays had to be used. There has been so much speculation that the tattoos could have been with a magical-curative function of that time. This is a kind of acupuncture today.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about Ötzi the ice man.