"Otzi The Iceman" – 5,300-Year-Old And Best Preserved Human Being

The world got to learn about Otzi the Iceman and his discovery takes us back to history.

Hiking is such a wonderful spot and it takes you places. You get to see the beautiful scenery. Spending time in nature is always great. But, seeing a dead body on your way is definitely not a fun thing.

Helmut and Erika Simon were shocked to see a body during their hikes. These two enjoyed their hike in the Austro-Italian Alps and came across a body (later named “Ötzi the Iceman”). It looked like a body from a mountaineer who had died in a tragic accident.

Authorities were informed. It turns out that Helmut and Erika made a historic discovery. The couple stumbled across the remains of a Copper Age man while hiking through an Alpine glacier.

The man was extracted with a small jackhammer and ice axes, and then transported to a morgue in Innsbruck.

“Ötzi the Iceman” was the oldest preserved human. Experts estimate that he died between 3350 and 3100 B.C. Believe it or not, Ötzi had 50 tattoos and died in spring or summer. The body was shipped off to Zurich, and Swiss researchers did an extensive examination and X-raying.

They found that Ötzi was naturally mummified about 5,300 years ago. He was around 45 years old, 165 centimeters tall, and weighed about 84 pounds.

The levels of copper particles and arsenic found in the man’s hair suggested that he was a copper smelter by trade. The examination of Ötzi ’s robust bone structure showed that he was probably a shepherd.

Ötzi the Iceman’s body in the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano

How did Ötzi die? CT scans showed there was an arrowhead lodged in his left shoulder. It damaged a big artery on the way. According to experts, Ötzi had joined a raiding party against another tribe as he wasn’t on home turf. Today, Ötzi ’s body is on full display in the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano.