Issues on Custodian and Ownership & Ethics involved

Because Otzi was found in between the borders of Austria and Italy the two countries fought a harsh battle to win custody of the Ice-Man.

A final decision was made by authorities that custody of the body should go to Italy because the area that Otzi was found in was then classified as italian land. A scientific study later announce that Otzi was in fact born on the Italian side of the border and so Italy should rightfully claim the body. On January 16th 1998, the Ice-Man's body and his possessions were taken to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano from the Institute for Anatomy in Innsbruck.

After years of research, it was finally decided that Otzi should be put on display for the public. However there have been debates on the issue of burying the body properly once all scientific, medical, anthropological and archaeological examinations are complete. A vote was cast and a decision made that the Ice-Man will be further preserved and displayed in an intimate atmosphere for ethical reasons and in order to remain accessible to the public and researchers.

Otzi on Display... 

Sources:

- In class notes

http://www.iceman.it/en/oetzi-display

http://www.mummytombs.com/otzi/findspot.htm

Image:

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=otzi+on+display&um=1&hl=en&biw=1213&bih=671&tbm=isch&tbnid=47WkdJQYb7u9YM:&imgrefurl=http://mindsparker.com/mystery/the-oldest-human-mummy-otzi-the-iceman/&docid=81wx-yFy8LUSYM&imgurl=http://mindsparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Display-Of-Otzi.jpg&w=450&h=250&ei=gR9rT9ShO4OgiQee_rSYBg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=410&sig=103853288045095951118&page=1&tbnh=83&tbnw=149&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=72&ty=54

The changing interpretations about the Ice-Man's death.

It has been said that shortly before Otzi passed away, he had suffered a blow to the head as well as a few fairly severe wounds such as a wound in his left shoulder as well as a deep cut in his right palm which suggests that the Ice-main might have been involved in an act of violence using a sharp weapon like a knife. X-rays later revealed a stone arrowhead lodged into his left shoulder. An autopsy done on Otzi showed traces of blood found in the brain, which indicates that the blow to the head that he suffered would have been very forceful.

Another interpretation comes from a research team of scientists led by Frank Jakobus Rühli at the University of Zurich. Who carried out a non-invasive computer scanning process to scan Otzi's body, these tests produced results indicating a 13 millimetre tear in an artery in Otzi's torso. Otzi appears to have suffered massive bleeding as a result of the tear, which eventually killed him. The tear in the artery was caused by the arrow head that was embedded in his left shoulder, Otzi's killer had shot him with the arrow and then pulled the shaft out. The position of his body when he was found leads researchers to believe that Otzi was sitting in a semi-upright position when he died.

An X-Ray image of the arrowhead embedded in Otzi's shoulder.

Source:

Patrizia Pernter, Paul Gostner, Eduard Egarter Vigl, Frank Jakobus Rühli. [in press]. Radiologic proof for the Iceman's cause of death (ca. 5,300 BP). Journal of Archaeological Science, to be published later this year. 

Image:

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=otzi+x+rays&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1213&bih=671&tbm=isch&tbnid=6cqORDZgaaM5TM:&imgrefurl=http://donsmaps.com/otzi.html&docid=Ge4nq2ej1Z6NeM&imgurl=http://donsmaps.com/images9/otzi431.jpg&w=845&h=1100&ei=3wtrT_iiLKOSiAfB2JXjBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&dur=462&sig=103853288045095951118&page=1&tbnh=148&tbnw=115&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=104&ty=118&vpx=107&vpy=133&hovh=150&hovw=116

Items the Ice-Man was Found With..

When Otzi was discovered in 1991, he had a number of his possessions still preserved and with him such as a bow and arrows, birch tree fungus that was used for medicinal purposes, leather, a knife, a backpack, shoes, a leather pouch and an axe. The axe that Otzi was found with was made of yew tree with a copper blade that was secured on by strings of leather. When this item was discovered with Otzi it caused great speculation among scientists because the axe was made of copper. It was considered that the copper axe was a technology 1000 years to advanced for Otzi and his people because in order to make metal out of copper it has to be smelted at 2000 degrees. In Otzi's time a copper axe was also an item that symbolised the status of an individual, which lead to the guesses that Otzi was a tribal leader or someone of great importance. Another item that Otzi was discovered with are his Bow and Arrows which were made of Rosewood. The bow and arrows have also been a subject of speculation with the experts, this is because twelve arrows were found, but only two out of the twelve were ready for use, the rest were unfinished. This caused uncertainty among scientists because it might suggest that the Otzi may have been involved in an act of violence with another person or group of people prior to his death. The scientists then use this evidence to construct an estimate that perhaps Otzi was on the run shortly before his death due to a disagreement with a particular person or people from his tribe or another tribe.

<-----  Otzi's Axe

<----- Otzi's Bow and Arrows

Images from:

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=otzi%27s+bow+and+arrows&um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=622&tbm=isch&tbnid=FGSeJIAZMr055M:&imgrefurl=http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2010/10/tool-kit-of-otzi-iceman.html&docid=N9I-m8LjzRMHuM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbECk7Qhm3_MNBosiM7W_MTopoH6Zx1tfwgKzY8sIcErO5tMAkQZOIwkyrf5nTw0BMjjdNcVQWN2eLNt8N30RVX1Rsbul07umV5UYXQasIc_J1JetC6tF2MF8u8axLiWNhGqsOlq4us70/s400/ice_arrows.jpg&w=225&h=252&ei=4vpqT43gAdCwiQfTppXvBQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=251&sig=103853288045095951118&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=119&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=69&ty=35

http://www.iceman.it/en/axe

Information Sources:

- Notes taken in class

http://www.mummytombs.com/otzi/equipment.htm

http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/iceman.html

When, Where and How was Otzi found?

The Iceman was found on Thursday 19th of September 1991 by Helmut and Erika Simon. The couple were from Germany, on holiday in Austria. Whilst they were hiking across mountains, they stumbled across his 5,300 year old corpse in a crevasse near Hauslabjoch in the Otztal Alps between the border of Austria and Italy, hence the nickname "Otzi". Otzi was a chance finding and is believed to be the oldest open case of homicide. Below is a picture of the Otzal Alps in which Otzi was found.

© 1988-2012 James M. Deem

http://www.mummytombs.com/otzi/discovery.htm

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=the+otztal+alps&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1066&bih=530&tbm=isch&tbnid=IMa9t5Fstoi7lM:&imgrefurl=http://www.summitpost.org/tztal-alps/331204&docid=oX7GI0A5xvTgkM&imgurl=http://www.summitpost.org/images/large/331204.jpg&w=1024&h=776&ei=07JpT5j3NeSUiQf_68i9Cg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=369&sig=110703172849481719954&page=1&tbnh=161&tbnw=191&start=0&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=37&ty=99