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Meilensteine der Ötzi-Forschung

Iceman research milestones

The following chronological list summarizes the most important results since the Iceman was discovered in 1991:

2001
Radiologist Paul Gostner discovers that the Iceman was murdered. He was shot with an arrow
Publication: E. Egarter Vigl/ P. Gostner, Insight: Report of Radiological-Forensic Findings on the Iceman. Journal of Archaeological Science (2002) 29, 323-326

2003
The Iceman’s last meal

Publication: Rollo, F.U. et al., Ötzi’s last meals: DNA analysis of the intestinal content of the Neolithic glacier mummy from the Alps, PNAS October 1 vol 99 no 99 (2002)

2003
The Iceman did not come from abroad, he was born and lived in what is now South Tyrol

Publication: W. Müller, H. Fricke, A.N. Halliday, M.T. McCulloch, J.-A. Wartho, Origin and Migration of the Alpine Iceman, Science 302, 31 Oct. 2003, 862-866

2003
A cut in his hand shows a battle before the Iceman died

Publication: A. Nerlich, B. Bachmeier, A. Zink, S. Thalhammer, E. Egarter Vigl, Ötzi had a wound on his right hand, The Lancet 362, July 26, 2003

2006
The Iceman belongs to the European genetic haplogroup K and was probably infertile

Publication: F.U. Rollo/L. Ermini/S. Luciani/, I. Marota, C. Olivieri, D. Luiselli, Fine characterization of the Iceman’s mtDNA Haplogroup. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 130 (2006) 557-564

2006
The Iceman’s constitution was athletic, he was more a wanderer than a manual worker

Publication: C.B. Ruff, B.M. Holt, V. Sladek, M. Berner, W.A. Murphy jr, D. zur Nedden, H. Seidler, W. Recheis, Body size, body proportions and mobility in the Tyrolean “Iceman”, Journal of Human Evolution 51-1 (2006) 91-101

2006/7
The Iceman bled to death. The arrow tip in his left shoulder pierced the subclavian artery

Publication: P. Pernter, P. Gostner, E. Egarter Vigl, F. R. Rühli, Radiologic Proof for the Iceman's cause of death (ca. 5300 BP), Journal of Archaeological Science (2007), 1-3

2007
The last 33 hours in the Iceman’s life by the pollen found in his intestine

Publication: Oeggl, K., Kofler, W., Schmidl, A., Dickson, J.H., Egarter-Vigl, E., Gaber, O., The reconstruction of the last itinerary of "Ötzi", the Neolithic Iceman, by pollen analyses from sequentially sampled gut extracts. In: Quaternary Science Reviews 26 (2007) 853-861;

2007
New radiological photos show brain trauma and prompt new theories about his death

Publication: Lippert, A., Gostner, P., Egarter Vigl, E., Pernter, P., Vom Leben und Sterben des Ötztaler Gletschermannes. Germania 85-1 (2007) 1-21;