The "Ice Man" is the oldest mummy found in Europe
The "ice man", or Ezi (Otzi), is an ice mummy of an ancient man, discovered in 1991 in the Tyrolean Alps on the Similaun glacier in the Etztal Valley at an altitude of 3200 meters. The age of the mummy, as determined by the radiocarbon method, is approximately 5,300 years. Currently, scientists continue to study the mummy.
The hand of the "ice man" on the sterile foil.
Dutch artists Adrie and Alphonse Kennis used the results of a 3D scan of the skeleton of the "ice man" to recreate its full-size copy. Initially, scientists believed that Otzi's eyes were blue, but recent DNA studies have shown that the color of the eyes was brown.
Ice man shoes on a glass model.
After the mummy was brought to the lab, the researchers raised the temperature to 17.8 degrees Celsius to defrost it. The meltwater was examined for the presence of bacteria, thanks to which the ancient mummy was so well preserved.
The knife and the "scabbard" of the "ice man".
After a nine-hour autopsy, the mummy was returned to its original temperature, -6.1 degrees Celsius, and placed in a glass sarcophagus. The research took place at the Archaeological Museum of South Tyrol in Bolzano, Italy.
An axe with a copper blade indicates that the "ice man" held a high position in his tribe. After an examination of the stomach, it was found that Etzi had taken food eight hours before his death. The remains of bran, roots, fruits, and muscle tissue of two types were found, corresponding to the meat of chamois and deer.
Two arrows that were used for hunting and self-defense. At the time of death, Ezi was approximately 165 cm tall and weighed 50 kg.
A maple leaf found among the Ice Man's equipment. Scientists found that the leaf was plucked from the tree in late spring.
Shoes made of grass, deer skin and bear skin. This shoe is considered one of the oldest ever discovered by scientists.
The mummy is in the Archaeological Museum of South Tyrol in Bolzano, Italy. The room is kept at a temperature of 17.8 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 98.5% - to simulate the ice sheet that protected the mummy for five thousand years.
According to scientists, the "ice man" at the time of death was a little more than forty years old.
Keywords: Europe | Mummy | Archeology | Ice | Scientists | Research