Otzi the Iceman was 5'5" tall, weighing in at 84 pounds. He was aged 46 years at the time of his death and hailed from the Copper Age, in Neolithic times.  He spent his childhood in an Italian village called Velturno, to the north of Bolzano.  Otzi enjoyed long walks through the hilly terrain of Italy, suggesting that he was perhaps a mountain shepherd, since his level of mobility is not common to most copper Age Europeans.  He had approximatley 57 tattoos of simple dots and lines.

The face of a Copper Age man.


Why?

So, why was the discovery of Otzi the Iceman so monumental?  It was because his corpse gave scientists and archeologists an unrivaled view into the lives of humans during the Copper Age, which had previously been, for the most part, a mystery. Understanding the Copper Age is important because it was a time when advanced metal working, like smelting, first emerged. Otzi was also a pop culture phenomenon.  There has been countless books written about him and he even stars in a play.

Poster for the play, "Frozen Fritz", about Otzi the Iceman



Frozen in the glacier

Artifacts from the
Copper Age.




The Otzi monument
in the Otzal Alps



How?

In mere hours, Otzi was removed very crudely from the glacier where he was found, using jackhammers and ice axes. In all of this the mummy of Otzi was damaged at the hip. It is clear that at the time of excavation, Otzi's mummy was treated with little respect; however, at this time they didn't know his true age or significance.

Otzi the Iceman is Europe's oldest naturally preserved mummy. He offers an unprecedented view of the Chalcolithic era, or Copper Age. 

Otzi was found in the Schnalstal glacier in the Otzal Alps near the Austrian-Italian Border.  His nickname comes from Ötztal, the region in which he was discovered. Otzi's body is now preserved in the Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy.

Map Showing Otzi's Location

When?

Otzi was found on September 1st, 1991 by two German tourists, Erika and Helmut Simon.  He is estimated to have died in 3300 BC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
%C3%96tzi_the_Iceman

http://www.american.edu/TED/
iceman.htm

http://www.mummytombs.com/
main.otzi.htm

Copper Age

Neolithic

Mummy

Schnalstal

Helmut and Erika Simon

Otzi