THE FINAL journey of world-famous frozen human who died high in the Alps 5,300 years ago has finally been detailed.
Researchers have examined frozen vegetation and gut microbes from around Ötzi the Iceman to uncover the route of his doomed 10,500 alpine ascent.
Ötzi was found high in the alps by two hikers who had strayed from a mountain pathCredit: Getty – Contributor
This statue depicts what Ötzi may have looked like in lifeCredit: AFP
Ötzi, also known as the Iceman and the Similaun Man, is a brilliantly-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived and died between 3400 and 3100 BC.
He was found by two German tourists on September 19, 1991, who were walking off the path between two mountain passes.
The body was discovered at an elevation of 10,530 feet on the east ridge of the Fineilspitze in the Alps near the Austrian-Italian border.
At first, the tourists suspected that the body was a recently-dead mountaineer, but the body was eventually removed and identified as extremely ancient.
Ötzi is a ‘natural’ mummy, preserved due to the frosty temperatures in the high AlpsCredit: AFP – Getty
Now researchers from the University of Glasgow and University of Innsbruck have examined mosses and liverworts surrounding Ötzi.
This assembly of plant life ranged from low-elevation to high-elevation species.
Just 30% of the identified species were local, so the rest were either transported by Ötzi’s gut or clothing.
Several of the moss species thrive in the low Schnalstal valley.
This suggests that Ötzi travelled along the valley from Schnalstal during his ascent.
Ötzi was found with a number of objects and items of clothingCredit: PA:Press Association
Ötzi was found frozen in this position, which may be a sign that he was killed violentlyCredit: AFP or licensors
“Most members of the public are unlikely to be knowledgeable about bryophytes (mosses and liverworts),” said James Dickson, of the University of Glasgow.
“However, no fewer than 75 species of these important investigative clues were found when the Iceman was removed from the ice.
“They were recovered as mostly small scraps from the ice around him, from his clothes and gear, and even from his his alimentary tract.
“Those findings prompted the questions: where did the fragments come from? How precisely did they get there? How do they help our understanding of the Iceman?”
Ötzi would’ve been middle-aged when he died, and relatively short for a man compared to today’s malesCredit: AFP
Scientists have conducted detailed examinations of Ötzi’s mummified bodyCredit: EuroPics – CEN
Some of the tattoos on Ötzi mapped outCredit: EURAC/M.Samadelli/M.Melis
Even Brad Pitt’s gotten in on the Otzi action. He’s got a tattoo of the Iceman’s corpse on his left forearmCredit: Getty – Contributor
Estimates suggest that Ötzi was 5ft 3in at the time of death, weighed 110 pounds, and was about 45 years old.
Later DNA analysis revealed that he had eaten a meal of ibex meat less than two hours before he died.
Ötzi was also found buried alongside a copper axe, a knife, and a quiver of 14 arrows.
His other possessions included berries, two birch-bark baskets, and some mushrooms.
It was initially believed that Ötzi had died during a winter storm in the frosty heights of the Alps.
A later theory suggested that he had lost his life due to an arrow wound.
And in 2010, a popular theory emerged that Ötzi had died at a lower altitude, and then was buried higher up in the mountains.
In other news, read about the eerie freeze-dried bodies found frozen in time in Greenland.
Ancient Egyptian mummies recently removed from their coffins sparked “Curse of the Pharaohs” fears.
An ancient mass grave filled with the battered bodies of 26 adults and children may be evidence of the world’s first war crime.
And, Neanderthals may have died out due to a common childhood illness.
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