Otzi The Iceman

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Otzi the iceman was found in the Otztal Alps, hence the nickname "Ötzi". It was discovered by two German tourists in 1991 who were walking a path between two mountains. It was recovered by the Austrian authorities and taken to Innsbruck, where its true age was finally discovered. It is now on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. Otzi was a glacier mummy, meaning his body had been preserved in the ice. Experts figured out that he was a 30-45 year old man that died roughly 5300 years ago. He was about 160cm tall and lived in the Neolithic period. He was either a hunter or a shepherd as he was continually walking over hills as experts say. Otzi apparently had whipworm, an intestinal parasite. During CT scans, it was observed that three or four of his right ribs had been cracked when he had been lying …show more content…

One of the mushrooms is known to have antibacterial properties, and was probably used for medicinal purposes. There was a fire starting kit with him that featured pieces of a dozen different plants, in addition to flint for creating sparks. Otzi's copper axe was of particular interest. The axe's haft is 60 cm long and made from carefully worked yew with a right-angled crook at the shoulder, leading to the blade. The 9.5 cm long axe head is made of almost pure copper, produced by a combination of casting, cold forging, polishing, and sharpening. The blade shows clear signs of having been used to chop and cut. At the time, such an axe would have been a valuable possession, important both as a tool and as a status symbol. Among Otzi's possessions were two species of mushrooms. One of these is known to have antibacterial properties, and was likely used for medical purposes. There was some sort of fire starting kit which featured pieces of a dozen different plants, in addition to flint and pyrite for creating

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