Ötzi the Iceman’s discovery marks 35 years
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In the Ötztal Alps mountains, German hikers Erika and Helmut Simon discovered the well-preserved body of a man on September 19, 1991.
Initially, the hikers excavated the body using tools like a compressed air hammer and ski poles, unintentionally damaging parts of the remains.
Subsequent investigation by the Innsbruck Forensic Medicine department and radiocarbon dating revealed the man, nicknamed “Ötzi” in German-speaking media and “Frozen Fritz” in English, lived around 5,300 years ago, making him one of the oldest known mummies. Researchers determined the man was about 1.6 meters tall and weighed around 50 kilograms, and suffered from conditions like worms, gum inflammation, gallstones, rheumatism, and lactose intolerance.
They also found evidence of trauma, including a skull-brain injury and an arrow wound to the shoulder, ultimately determining he died from blood loss after being struck by the arrow while on a snowfield. A dispute arose over the mummy’s ownership, leading the Federal Office for Metrology and Surveying to determine the discovery site lay on the Italian side of the Ötztal Alps, just 92 meters from the border.
Despite the location, experts agree Ötzi’s cultural heritage belongs to the Tyrolean region. Since 1998, Ötzi has been on display at the Archaeological Museum in Bozen, Italy, after being stored for seven years in a freezer at -6 degrees Celsius.
