Oetzi: The Glacier Mummy from Schnalstal Valley

In 1991, mountain climbers on the Ötztal Alps discovered a perfectly preserved 5,300 year-old mummy. Subsequently known as Oetzi, it did not take long for news of the discovery of the glacier mummy in the Schnalstal Valley to spread internationally.

For the past 30 years, the mummy has been the subject of continuous research at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum) in Bolzano/Bozen, and continues to yield important information about life in the Neolithic Era.

Besides the reconstruction of Oetzi’s habitat at the interactive archeoParc museum in the Schnalstal Valley, there are also local routes leading to other Neolithic sites. The Oetzi Glacier Tour retraces the footsteps of Oetzi up to the Tisenjoch ridge, where he was discovered. The Iceman has also inspired artists, and is the subject of works such as the Inside Oetzi radio play and the musical composition Oetzi’s Fanfare.

Compared to other ancient human remnants, Oetzi is notable for his venerable age, excellent state of preservation and also the tools and items of clothing found nearby. The mummy is the centerpiece of the permanent local history exhibition at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano/Bozen. Temporary exhibitions illustrate the latest research results being carried out on the Iceman.

10 important facts about Ötzi

1. The mummy was dubbed Ötzi by the Austrian journalist Karl Wendl, who was looking for a catchy name. The name refers to the discovery site in the Ötztal Valley Alps.
2. He is therefore older than the Egyptian pyramids und Stonehenge and the result of a series of highly improbable coincidences.
3. Ötzi lived during the Copper Age, a period of the late Neolithic. He was still using stone tools but owned an innovative and very valuable copper axe.
4. Ötzi is a wet mummy that was mummified naturally in the glacier ice.
5. The mummy is stored in a specially devised cold cell and can be viewed through a small window.
6. The mummy weighs approximately 13 kg and is 1.54 m long.
7. Ötzi is one of the best researched individuals in the world.
8. 61 tattoos were found on Ötzi’s body, all in the form of lines or crosses.
9. At first it was thought that Ötzi had died in an accident in the mountains.
10. There can be no doubt that Ötzi was murdered.