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Most people know of the ancient Egyptian mummies, and some may even know how they were made. However, the oldest found Egyptian mummy is around 4,300 years old, a full thousand years younger than \u00d6tzi\u2013and they were preserved very differently. For instance, Egyptian mummies, more often than not, were mummified on purpose through a complicated process. \u00d6tzi, on the other hand, was mummified accidentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One type of accidental mummification\u2013the one which affected \u00d6tzi\u2013is due to ice. Low temperatures, such as those in the \u00d6tzal Alps, are able to slow most biological processes and therefore prevent decay. Freezing a body entirely can keep it from decomposing for thousands of years. A Siberian mummy well-known as the Ice Maiden was preserved in a similar fashion. She was, quite literally, encased in a block of ice, and stayed that way for around 2,500 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the amount of time \u00d6tzi spent in the glacier caused his body to become dehydrated, he is a rarity in that he is almost completely preserved. Most mummies that are found have been made purposefully, which often involves removing the internal organs. \u00d6tzi still has his, which has allowed researchers to study him in depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, due to his exceptional state of preservation, \u00d6tzi\u2019s body has been studied successfully enough to determine that \u00d6tzi was about 46 years old when he died, he\u2019d just eaten a meal of dried ibex and deer meat with einkorn wheat, and the cause of his death was murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, murder. We can\u2019t know for sure who murdered \u00d6tzi, or why he was killed; yet by studying \u00d6tzi\u2019s remains archeologists have been able to provide some context for his death. Researchers have located a deep cut, nearly touching the bone, on his right hand between his thumb and index finger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This type of injury is an active defensive wound, meaning \u00d6tzi tried to grab the blade of someone who was attacking him. A few days afterwards, at the Tisen Pass, he was attacked once more. This time, an arrow struck his back near his left shoulder, hitting an artery there. Someone removed the arrow shaft while the wound was still bleeding, likely \u00d6tzi\u2019s attacker, but the arrowhead still remains in his shoulder. Due to the nature of this wound, \u00d6tzi likely bled to death within minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00d6tzi also had some brain hemorrhaging, which is when an artery in the brain bursts, but its cause hasn\u2019t been identified. It may have been due to him falling and hitting his head, or his attacker may have dealt him a blow to the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ample amounts of information have been gathered thanks to studying \u00d6tzi, yet there may still be more left to find. Investigations into his gut bacteria have helped us to better understand how and when humans spread into Europe, alongside possibly dating a migration wave from Africa. Further research may help to really illustrate this. However, \u00d6tzi can\u2019t be studied willy-nilly.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a \u2018wet mummy\u2019, \u00d6tzi\u2019s remains need to be well maintained. His body is kept in a custom cold chamber, where temperature is maintained at a constant of -21.2 degrees Fahrenheit, or -29.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, about four to five times a year, his body is sprayed with sterile water to create an icy, protective sort of exoskeleton which helps to preserve his body. The intention is to keep his remains in the best condition possible so they can be studied thoroughly in the future. It can\u2019t be known what sort of changes in technology and to the scientific method may arise in the next 20-30 years, so maintaining \u00d6tzi\u2019s remains as effectively as possible is a necessity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00d6tzi the Iceman has already provided researchers with a great deal of information about what life was like 5,300 years ago, and how humans spread across Europe, but all his secrets are yet to be discovered. \u00d6tzi has more to tell\u2013we just have to listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cutts, Elise. \u201cThese Mummies Were Made \u2026 by Accident?\u201d, National Geographic<\/em>, 7 Aug. 2023, www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/article\/natural-mummies-accident<\/a>. Accessed 17 Jan. 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u00d6tzi – the Mummy in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.\u201d Museo Archeologico Dell\u2019Alto Adige<\/em>, 2016, www.iceman.it\/en\/the-mummy\/<\/a>. Accessed 17 Jan. 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200cGannon, Megan. \u201cScientists Reconstruct \u00d6tzi the Iceman\u2019s Frantic Final Climb.\u201d National Geographic<\/em>, 30 Oct. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com\/history\/article\/scientists-reconstruct-otzi-iceman-final-climb<\/a>. Accessed 19 Jan. 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roach, John. \u201cIceman Bled out from Arrow Wound, X-Ray Scan Reveals.\u201d National Geographic<\/em>, 7 June 2007, www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/article\/-iceman-bled-out-from-arrow-wound–x-ray-scan-reveals<\/a>. Accessed 19 Jan. 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pinkowski, Jennifer. \u201c\u00d6tzi the Iceman: What We Know 3 Decades after His Discovery.\u201d National Geographic,<\/em> 15 Sept. 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com\/premium\/article\/otzi-the-iceman-what-we-know-3-decades-after-his-discovery<\/a>. Accessed 19 Jan. 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-01-at-21.07.41-1024x682.png\")
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