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Iceman not buried on the glacier
Statement by the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology on the Iceman burial theory put forward by A.
Vanzetti, M. Vidale, M. Gallinaro, D.W. Frayer und L. Bondioli, published in “Antiquity” 84/2010.
A theory appearing in the past week in the media, according to which the Iceman (“Ötzi”) did
not die on the glacier but was only later brought there for burial, has been rejected by the
team researching the Iceman.
In his article “The Iceman as a burial” appearing in “Antiquity” 84/2010, the archaeologist
Alessandro Vanzetti of Rome’s La Sapienza University and his co‐authors reconstruct the
position of the Iceman at his place of discovery on the Tisenjoch pass in South Tyrol, Italy. From
this and based on his botanical investigations, he draws the conclusion that the Iceman did not
die at the site of the incident: rather he died in the spring within his valley community and only
later, in September, was he brought up to the Tisenjoch and buried there.
Vanzetti’s scenario, which has already been discussed numerous times in the past, displays
fundamental weaknesses in its chain of argument and its archaeological context, however,
meaning that his theory cannot be accepted by the majority of researchers into the Iceman.
They do not regard pollen or the distribution pattern of the associated finds as suitable for
analysing the cause of death, the possible body changes after death or the funeral rites.
From an archaeological viewpoint it should be noted that this body from the Copper Age found
on the Tisenjoch represents a unique discovery. South American cultures perform burials on
mountains or at altitude, but there are no known comparable cases in the Alpine region. On the
contrary, during the Copper Age individual burials in ordinary cemeteries close to settlements
were the rule. Even in the case of highly complex funeral rites (individual or collective graves,
primary or secondary burials, interment or cremation), there are no indications of burials taking
place so far away from settlements.
Regarding Vanzetti’s ethno‐historical argument that, in Tyrol, the deceased were preserved
after death and only carried over the mountain passes to cemeteries after the spring thaw, the
archaeologists point out that this can be explained by the system of Christian churches with
cemeteries and the feudal power structures of the Middle Ages. In such cases the dead were
buried as soon as possible in the appropriate cemetery according to church law. The object was
however to bring the dead to the cemetery in the village, not from the village to the mountain.
Solely with regard to the keeping of the dead is there any analogy with the Christian era. As
regards the epoch of the Iceman (the Copper Age), such a transportation analogy can only be
considered as speculation.
If, as Vanzetti’s article proposes, the Iceman died in a valley location in April and was only
carried up the mountain in September, there would be evidence of greater decomposition
processes as well as insect infestation, despite any attempts at mummification. As there is no
proof of these, we can assume that the body must have lost much by way of fluids but was
rapidly frozen and protected by a covering of snow or ice. This special situation resulted in the
mummifying of the Iceman, unique in the world, with the fluids in his tissues remaining
preserved. This preservation is based on a freeze‐drying process and cannot be explained by dry
mummification, as Vanzetti conjectures.
The most important forensic evidence for the fact that the loss of body fluid could not have
occurred anywhere else than at the place of discovery is the position of the left arm and the
uninterrupted stream of blood from the wounded artery via the wound path to the skin. This
clearly proves that the position of the arm is as it was exactly at the time of death, while the
blood was still circulating. As the corpse lost its rigidity it would have been very easy to lie the
arm next to the body.
Vanzetti’s counterargument is that the body was buried intact on the glacier and that it only slid
downwards as the glacier melted, with the arm moving to its current position in front of the
chest. This is inconceivable if, as the authors previously state, the Iceman had already died a
few months before and been mummified. The rigid arm could then no longer be brought into
its position without causing substantial damage either to it or to the shoulder. All of the
Iceman’s joints are in fact in their anatomically correct position. It is therefore not possible for
the intact mummy to have been transported up to the glacier.
A prominent part of Vanzetti’s argument in favour of an autumnal burial in the mountains is the
pollen analysis conducted by the University of Innsbruck. There are, however, some
inconsistencies related to the timing of the proposed burial. Analysis of pollen on melted ice
cannot be used as evidence of an autumnal burial. In actual fact, if, as admitted by the authors,
the find site had thawed, then the pollen would not be found in its original layer but would be
mixed with the pollen content in more recent layers.
The arguments of Vanzetti et al., hypothesising a burial on the glacier, are therefore
unconvincing both from an archaeological as well as from a biological point of view.
Detailed answers drawing on archaeology and the natural sciences, aimed at conducting an
expert discussion with the authors, in the meantime are published: Zink, A. / Graefen, A. / Oeggl, K. / Dickson, J. / Leitner, W. / Kaufmann, G. / Fleckinger, A. / Gostner, P. / Egarter Vigl, E.: The Iceman is not a burial: reply to Vanzetti et al. (2010) Antiquity 85. In: Antiquity Volume 085 Issue 327 March (2011) http://www.antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/zink328/
Dr. med. Eduard Egarter Vigl, consultant in pathology (retd.) at the Regional Hospital, Bozen and Head of
Conservation for the Iceman (I)
Dr. Angelika Fleckiger, archaeologist, Director of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bozen (I)
Dr. med. Paul Gostner, radiologist, consultant in radiology (retd.) at the Regional Hospital, Bozen (I)
Dr. Günther Kaufmann, archaeologist, conservator at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bozen (I)
Univ.‐Prof. Extr. Dr. Walter Leitner, archaeologist, Director of the Institute for Archaeologies, University of
Innsbruck (A)
Univ.‐Prof. Extr. Dr. Klaus Oeggl, botanist, Institute for Botany at the University of Innsbruck (A)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Albert Zink, molecular biologist and palaeopathologist, Director of the EURAC Institute for
Mummies and the Iceman, Bozen (I)
Photos: the press photos are free if accompanied by the copyright © South Tyrol Museum of
Archaeology
Photo Topics: the Iceman in his cell, the Iceman analyzed, the finding place of the Iceman at the
Tisa yoke, Schnals Valley, South Tyrol/Italy
Information: Katharina Hersel, Press Office, South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
Tel.: +39 0471 320114
E‐mail: katharina.hersel@iceman.it; press@iceman.it
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
Via Museo 43
I‐39100 Bolzano
www.iceman.it
 | the Iceman in his cell |
 | the finding place of the Iceman |
 | the Iceman analyzed |
