Otzi The Ice Man
How did Otzi die?
Initially, Otzi was thought to have died from freezing to death. However, new discoveries reveal that he was murdered.
In the summer of 2001, radiologist Paul Gosner was reviewing CT scans of Otzi, which was basically like an x-ray of his chest. He had studied these many times, but this time he noticed something strange in the top left corner of Otzi's shoulder. After looking at it, he discovered it was an arrow head. The reason why it had previously gone undetected was because it was made of stone, not metal. This was the first piece of evidence that led scientists to believe that Otzi was actually murdered.
A team of scientists wanted to find out more information, so they brought Otzi to a hostpital where they could conduct a full body CT scan with a higher resolution. From this, the scientists found that Otzi had severe abdominal wounds, rib fractures, a large fracture in the skull, and a deep cut in the palm of his right hand. This deep cut in his hand resembles a defensive wound, which is when a person puts their hand up in order to defend themselves during a fight. Scientists tested the tissue from this cut on his hand to see if the cut was a fresh wound or a healing wound. Results showed that Otzi had gotten the cut on his hand 3-4 days prior to his death. These wounds and fractures that initially had been thought of as wear and tear from a 5,300 year old body, were now thought of as clues to a complex murder investigation.
Scientists then wondered what happened to Otzi in those days between when he got cut and when he died. So, scientists used Otzi's intestines to discover what Otzi had been eating his last days alive. This way, they would have a better idea about what he was doing and where he was. Scientists found residue of two different types of pollen in his intestines. The pollen was probably in his intestines because he drank water which contained it.
One type of pollen was from a hop hornbeam tree. This type of tree grows in a valley and blooms only between March and June. This helped scientists know that Otzi had been in the valley and also what time of year he died.
The other type of pollen found in Otzi's intestines was from a conifer tree. This type of tree grows in high altitudes.
The pollen from the valley (hop hornbeam tree) is inbetween layers of pollen from the mountains (conifer tree). This implies an order of where Otzi was. First, he was up in the mountains, then traveled back down to the valley, and then back up to the mountain again where he then died.
Using all of this evidence, a new theory has been made about Otzi's final days and his murder:
It was summertime, and probably June, which is known because of when the hop hornbeam tree blooms. Otzi was high up in the mountains for some reason, maybe for hunting or looking for copper. He then travels back down to his village in the valley of them mountain, which is a long trek. Within the span of about 24 hours, an event happens in his village where Otzi is attacked and he must defend himself with his hand. From this, his right hand has a deep cut. Otzi then starts to quickly head back up the mountain, maybe even being followed by the person/people who attacked him in his vilage. It is thought that he was in a hurry because only 2 of the 14 arrows that Otzi brought with him were actually useable.
At this time, Otzi is frantically running up the mountain, with a badly injured hand, while trying to carve arrows. He runs over 12 miles up the mountain and gets to about 10,000 feet above sea level. After about a day or a day and a half of running, Otzi is shot in the left shoulder by an arrow. The loss of blood from this shot would have killed him in about a half an hour. Regardless, whoever shot Otzi with an arrow then walked over and took the arrow shaft out of Otzi's back, picked up a big stone, and smashed his head.
Otzi's Final Days:
