When we hear the word mummy, our minds immediately travel to those well-known Egyptian mummies. However, as seen in previous publications (Martínez Blanco, 2021), there are various types of mummies. In this article, we will focus on the mummy of Ötzi (fig. 1), which could be classified as a cold mummy.
This preserved body was discovered by two German mountaineers in the Ötztal Alps (fig. 2A) near the border between Austria and Italy (fig. 2B). Due to being covered by glacial ice, both the body and belongings were exceptionally well-preserved. Initially, they thought it might be a lost hiker's remains from several years ago. However, carbon-14 dating revealed that Ötzi was approximately 5300 years old (Kutschera & Rom, 2000).
According to researchers, his clothing consisted of a woven grass layer over a leather jacket, a bear skin cap, and leggings made from goat skin. Additionally, his shoes were made of bear and deer leather with grass insulation as thermal protection (Maderspacher, 2008). Rarely do we have the opportunity to analyze stomach contents in such ancient remains, but this is one of those instances. Ötzi's last meal included bread, ibex meat, and sloe seeds (Rollo et al., 2002; Maderspacher, 2008). His body was covered with tattoos, many located in arthritic joints, suggesting that the purpose of these tattoos might have been both aesthetic and medicinal.
In his toolkit, he carried several arrowheads and a flint dagger (fig. 3), a copper axe (Wierer et al., 2018), and a type of mushroom believed to have antibacterial properties (Maderspacher, 2008). His knowledge and control over fire were also evident as he carried a piece of tinder fungus and a flint tool (Dickson et al., 2003). Regarding the cause of death, through radiography it was discovered that Ötzi had an arrowhead embedded under his left shoulder blade, along with a head injury and hand wound (Nerlich et al., 2003; Maderspacher, 2008). These findings point to murder, although given the age of the remains, this information must be analyzed cautiously.
Genetic analysis of Ötzi's mitochondrial DNA revealed mutations not found in current populations, indicating that he belonged to a vanished European people. Furthermore, by analyzing his nuclear DNA, it was determined that he had brown eyes, type O blood, and was lactose intolerant (Ermini et al., 2008; Callaway, 2012; Keller et al., 2012).
With this information in mind, researchers asked where Ötzi lived and how far he traveled during his lifetime. Isotope analysis provided the answers. The results pointed to southern valleys as the origin of this individual. Specifically, they pinpointed the Eisack valley, and it is likely that he spent his life within a 60-kilometer radius from his place of origin (Holden, 2003) (fig. 2B).
Conclusions
The study of various mummies discovered around the world has provided extensive and interesting information that allows us to closely understand the way of life of different individuals. We would never have imagined knowing so much about a person who lived over 5000 years ago, as in the case of Ötzi. There are likely still remains to be discovered, and thanks to field and laboratory techniques that continue to improve, it is increasingly probable to obtain better results.
Bibliography
Callaway, E. (2012). Iceman’s DNA reveals health risks and relations. Nature.
Dickson, J. H., Oeggl, K., & Handley, L. L. (2003). The iceman reconsidered. Scientific American, 288 (5), 70-79.
Ermini, L., Olivieri, C., Rizzi, E., Corti, G., Bonnal, R., Soares, P., … & Rollo, F. (2008). Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Tyrolean Iceman. Current Biology, 18 (21), 1687-1693.
Holden, C. (2003). Isotopic data pinpoint Iceman's origins. Science. 302, 759-760.
Keller, A., Graefen, A., Ball, M., Matzas, M., Boisguerin, V., Maixner, F., … & Zink, A. (2012). New insights into the Tyrolean Iceman's origin and phenotype as inferred by whole-genome sequencing. Nature communications, 3 (1), 698.
Kutschera, W., & Rom, W. (2000). Ötzi, the prehistoric Iceman. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 164, 12-22.
Maderspacher, F. (2008). Ötzi. Current Biology, 18 (21), R990-R991.
Martínez Blanco, C. (2021). Los tres veces muertos. Momias, Pantanos y Rituales. ArqueoTimes. /articles/thrice-dead-mummies-bogs-and-rituals/.
Nerlich, A. G., Bachmeier, B., Zink, A., Thalhammer, S., & Egarter-Vigl, E. (2003). Ötzi had a wound on his right hand. The Lancet, 362 (9380), 334.
Rollo, F., Ubaldi, M., Ermini, L., & Marota, I. (2002). Ötzi's last meals: DNA analysis of the intestinal content of the Neolithic glacier mummy from the Alps. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99 (20), 12594-12599.
Wierer, U., Arrighi, S., Bertola, S., Kaufmann, G., Baumgarten, B., Pedrotti, A., … & Pelegrin, J. (2018). The Iceman’s lithic toolkit: Raw material, technology, typology and use. Plos one, 13 (6), e0198292.
Comments