Who Killed the Iceman?

In 1991, high in the mountains of Europe, hikers made a shocking discovery: a dead man partly frozen in the ice. The police investigation soon became a scientific one. Carbon dating indicated that the man died over 5,300 years ago. Today, he is known as the Iceman and nicknamed “Ötzi” for the Ötztal Alps where he was found. Kept in perfect condition by the ice, he is the oldest complete human body found on Earth.

Scientists believe Ötzi was an important person in his village. Examinations of his teeth and skull tell us he was in his mid-forties when he died. The things he carried also tell us about who he was. His knife was made of stone, but he carried a copper ax. This was a valuable tool in Ötzi’s time and suggests that he may have been a local leader. A fire-starting kit was discovered with him, so we know he could make fire. And the food he ate and carried enabled scientists to know exactly where in Italy he lived—a village down in the valley.

But why did Ötzi die in such a high and icy place? Some said he was a lost farmer or shepherd. Others thought he was killed in a religious ceremony. No one knows for sure.

Over the years, tiny scientific discoveries have led to great changes in our understanding of Ötzi’s story. “[Once], the story was that he fled up there and walked around in the snow and probably died of exposure,” said scientist Klaus Oeggl. “Now it’s all changed. … It’s more like a … crime scene.” In fact, the newest scientific information indicates Ötzi was cruelly murdered. In June 2001, an X-ray of the body showed a small dark shape beneath Ötzi’s left shoulder. It was the stone head of an arrow that had hit him from behind. CT scans showed that this caused an injury that killed him very quickly.

Then, in 2003, an Australian scientist discovered the blood of four other people on Ötzi’s clothes. Was Ötzi killed in a fight? It isn’t likely, as Ötzi’s other injuries, on his hand and head, had already started to close. This means there probably was a fight, but it happened much earlier.

Perhaps Ötzi was being chased when he died? In 2010, scientists took the mummy out of the cold and examined him again. They discovered that just before his death, he had a big meal of bread and goat meat. In 2018, further analysis of his stomach showed Ötzi had also eaten deer meat. Would someone being chased stop to eat a large meal? The scientists don’t think so. More likely, he was attacked while resting. He may have thought he had escaped and was safe. Today, the research continues, proving some of these ideas as false while opening the door to others. Ötzi, it seems, has more to tell us about his life and the time in which he lived.