Archaeology
When was Ötzi the Iceman discovered?
1991 AD
Helmut and Erika Simon found Ötzi in the Ötztal Alps on 19 September 1991 AD.
1 BC · 1 AD
Context
What happened?
The body lay at about 3,210 metres near the Tisenjoch pass, close to the border between Austria and Italy, preserved by ice rather than by any burial rite. Radiocarbon dating places his life between roughly 3359 and 3105 BC.
Significance
Why it matters
Ötzi emerged from the ice with his clothing, tools, a copper axe and even the contents of his stomach, which is why he reveals more about everyday Copper Age life than most excavated graves. A scan in 2001 found an arrowhead lodged in his left shoulder, showing that he bled to death rather than simply succumbing to the cold.
Further reading
Sources
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