#ThrowbackToday: Meet Ötzi, the glacier mummy who is over 5,300 years old

It was ice that helped preserve this Iceman in such a remarkable way that now, he and whatever equipment he carried are huge clues from the past. This is what we are talking about for today's #TBT
The mummy returns | (Pic: Pixabay)
The mummy returns | (Pic: Pixabay)

He is much older than the Pyramids of Egypt or the Stonehenge, in fact, he dates back to the Copper Age. The clothing he donned, a fur robe made from the hide of various animals, a woven grass cape and a fuzzy hat to go with it along with an axe, dagger and several arrows — all of these were important clues from his age. Who is this man we are referring to? It's the glacier mummy Ötzi who was discovered by German tourists on the Ötztal Alps, at the Italian-Austrian border. This happened on September 19, 1991.  

Exhibited at South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy since 1998, a specially-made cold cell houses the body which can be seen through a small window. After X-Ray came about a few years later, it was found that this man was shot with an arrow and he bled to death. He most likely fell into a small hollow and glacial ice followed immediately after which led to the body being remarkably well-preserved. After the accidental discovery, it was also discovered that his body was infected with whipworm and that he had arthritis.

Wondering about where its name Ötzi came from? From the Ötztal Alps where he was found on. How's that for a blast from the past?

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