How Did Iceman's Influence On American Culture

506 Words2 Pages

Iceman, also called Ötzi, made an astounding impact on society when it was found, since he was the oldest, most prehistoric, and well preserved mummy to ever be discovered. The Iceman is also a natural mummy, and was preserved in ice for almost 5,300 years. His body wasn’t contaminated or changed by burial rites or other intrusions. Iceman was also wearing everyday clothing and the gear of prehistoric men. Even some organic possessions such as a grass cape, fur coat, feathered arrows, and birch bark containers were preserved. This equipment, along with his rare clothing, provides a clear insight of daily life during the Europe’s Copper Age. The discovery of his possessions weren’t the only treasures found with him. His very body was a window to the past. Analyzing Iceman’s blood, bone, …show more content…

Bryan Sykes, a geneticist, recovered Iceman’s DNA, and amazingly, one of Iceman’s descendants worked in his very lab! This discovery was definitely a step towards finding out when and what populations moved around the globe. His discovery seems to point out that modern Europeans are descendants of the indigenous hunter-gatherers. Genetics was saying farming, not farmers, spread from southwest Asia. This caused an explosion of disapproval. Many were reluctant to let go of the theories they spent decades formulating. Iceman was bringing all the flaws of those theories to the surface. However, as many answers Iceman was giving, even more questions are raised. I had my own questions after reading about Iceman. How was his body so well preserved? It seems like a very little chance such a body could remain unmutilated after such a long period of time. Why didn’t his attacker take his items? Was the arrow wound fatal? I suppose only new evidence, or greater technology can tell us, although some things may not be solved for many more years. Iceman is an extremely interesting mummy, and I hope he can continue to tell his

More about How Did Iceman's Influence On American Culture

Open Document