Iceman, The

The axe of "Otzi the Iceman (well-preserved mummy dated to 3300 BC) is made from copper. 

The reddish metal was already known in prehistoric times. It occasionally occurs as a native metal, but mostly in conspicuous green ores, from which it is extracted relatively easily. It is convenient to work, but not very hard. Not very optimal as a tool ("Otzi the Iceman" had a copper axe with him). Only through the addition of tin is the more useful bronze obtained. Its zinc alloy is the versatile and widely used brass. Copper is one of the coinage metals. Water pipes are commonly made of copper. Its very good thermal and electrical conductivity is commonly exploited (cable ), as well as its durability (roofs, gutters), as the verdigris (basic copper carbonate) protects the metal. Cu phthalocyanines are the most beautiful blue pigments. Seems to be essential to all life as a trace element. In some molluscs, Cu replaces Fe in the heme complex. A 70-kg human contains 72 mg. 

Gove, H. E. (1999), From Hiroshima to the Iceman The Development and Applications of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Physics, Bristol. 

The case of Oetzi (or the Iceman), the frozen mummy found in 1991 on the Alps on the border between Austria and Italy and now kept at the Archaeological Museum of Bolzano (Italy), is also well known. AMS radiocarbon measurements from the laboratories of Zurich[78] and Oxford[79] on tissue and bone samples from the Iceman dated him to 4550 19 years BP. When calibrated, this radiocarbon age corresponds to three probable calendar time intervals between 3350 BC and 3100 BC. Consistent measurements were obtained by dating some of his equipment and also botanic remains from the discovery site. [80] In this context, it is important to note that dating of Oetzi represents a good example of the relevance of the behaviour of the calibration curve in the final precision of a radiocarbon measurement. Actually, in this case, despite a very high precision of the radiocarbon age ( 19 years), the special trend in the calibration curve around the dated period, i.e. in particular the so-called wiggles, prevents a more exact and unambiguous absolute age determination. 

Approximately 5000 years ago, a man set out to climb the Tyrolean Alps on the Austrian-Italian border. At death, he was between 40 and 50 years old and suffered from several medical ailments. Some scientists believe he was caught in a heavy snowfall, fell asleep, and froze to death. Others suppose he was murdered during his journey. Either way, his body was covered with snow almost immediately and, due to the freezing weather, rapidly became a mummy - The Iceman . In 1991, his body was re-exposed and discovered by climbers in the Otzal Alps, explaining why the Iceman , as he was called, was given the nickname Otzi (or, more commonly, as just Otzi). 

The BBC Website has a page dedicated to Otzi the Iceman, with some nice pictures go to http //www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/iceman.shtml, which also reproduces the full transcript of an hour-long documentary. 

Iceman samples are within the cluster of glacier bodies, thus confirming other results about the origin of this mummy (and not confirming speculations, the iceman may be a fake). 

Application of multivariate statistics to fatty acid data from the Tyrolean Iceman and other mummies is a mosaic stone in the investigation of this mid-European ancestor, which is still a matter of research (Marota and Rollo 2002 Murphy et al. 2003 Nerlich et al. 2003). The iceman is on public display in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, stored at —6°C and 98% humidity, the conditions as they probably were during the last thousands of years. 

Otzi the Iceman, and some artifacts found around his body (Werner Nosko/EPA/Corbis]... 

The mummy only weighs about 30 poimds (13 kg) and is about five feet (1.54 m) in length, but because of shrinkage this does not reflect the Iceman s true physique. According to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, which houses the body, the living Otzi would have been about 63 inches tall (1.6 m) and weighed 110 pounds (50 kg). 

Because tooth enamel forms only once, its structure supplies a snapshot of the time of tooth formation, which occurs early in life. The tissues and structures of the body are built from elements supplied by food and water. For enamel, these elements consist of those that were available during childhood. The key to identifying where the Iceman spent his childhood comes from the variation in isotopes that occur in different regions. 

By examining Otzi s teeth and bones and comparing their isotope ratios to those foimd in the nearby environments, archaeologists can get clues about where the Iceman grew up and where he spent his adulthood. (More precisely, these measurements indicate where Otzi s food and water came from. But in this ancient era, Otzi would have probably obtained most or perhaps all of the necessities of Ufe from the local area.) Teeth enamel provide clues of childhood environment, and bone, which gets remade every decade or two, indicates a more recent abode. 

This map shows where the Iceman was found and the valleys in which he lived. 

Skeptical observers might wonder if the DNA found in ancient bodies or bones are actually contaminants. PCR amplifies any DNA in the sample, whether it came from the artifact or not. DNA introduced into the sample by humans who handle the artifact is a common headache for ancient DNA research, particularly for bones, which are porous. Bone porosity increases about four or five times after death, which provides a rough field test for archaeologists to gauge the age of a bone—old bones are much more porous. But the increased porosity means that these bones soak up solutions and chemicals, some of which can contain DNA. For the bones of ancient humans, including the Iceman, in which the DNA sequence is expected to be quite closely related to modern humans, it may be difficult to decide if the DNA is ancient or if it is a modern contaminant. 

Another study of Otzi s DNA is more controversial. In 2003, the archaeologist Tom Loy at the University of Queensland in Australia tested some of the Iceman s equipment, including his knife, arrows, and coat. Loy had noted signs of blood, and when he used PCR on the samples, he found not one individual s DNA, but four. This evidence suggests that... 

Analyses of food and drink are not limited to the residues of unconsumed substances. In the Iceman s case, scientists had access to the body—and therefore to Otzi s last ingested meals. 

Oeggl and his colleagues discovered pollen from the hop hornbeam tree, which grows in warm environments at lower altitudes. This tree blooms in the springtime, indicating that the Iceman died in spring. 

One theory, based on the pollen analysis, suggests that when Otzi returned from a trip to higher altitudes, he got into a dispute with some people in the village. According to the isotope evidence coming from the Iceman s bones and teeth, he was familiar with the area, so he would have probably known the villagers—they may have even been relatives. Otzi retreated back into the moimtains after the fight, only to die at the hands of a skilled archer. 

Much uncertainty remains. But as archaeological chemists develop increasingly sophisticated analyses, further clues may emerge about the Iceman s life and death. 

German tourists hiking in the Italian Alps discover Otzi the Iceman, a remarkably well preserved 5,300-year-old body. 

Fowler, Brenda. Iceman Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier. New York Random ffouse, 2000. Fowler, a journalist, chronicles the discovery and subsequent studies of Otzi the Iceman. Although a lot of research has occurred since the publication of this book, the author provides a wealth of interesting detail on the people, politics, and science associated with the period shortly following this amazing discovery. 

Handt, Oliva, Martin Richards, Marion Trommsdorff, Christian Kilger, Jaana Simanainen, Oleg Georgiev, et al. Molecular Genetic Analyses of the Tyrolean Ice Man. Science 264 (June 17, 1994) 1,775-1,778. The researchers found genetic fragments in the Iceman s remains that are closely related to people living today in parts of central and northern Europe. 

South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology Oetzi/Otzi, the Iceman. Available online. URL http //www.archaeologiemuseum.it/f01 ice uk.html. Accessed May 28, 2009. The Web site of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, which houses Otzi, presents photographs and information on the mummy, clothing, and equipment. 

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