Otzi: The Iceman
Review
 History is a detective story
 Historians and Archaeologists speculate- or
make educated guesses about the past.
 They try to avoid making assumptions- or
guesses that are not supported with facts or
evidence.
Inference
 Historians and Archaeologists try to make logical
conclusions based on evidence.
 Using evidence, they try to figure out the storythis is called inference.
 Inference- using reasoning to draw a logical
conclusion from factual knowledge and evidence.
Examples
 John comes into the room with a wet jacket, wet
hair, and holding an umbrella. You infer…
 Suzie sniffled and a coughed. She had a box of
tissues she kept nearby to blow her nose. You infer…
Task
 You will think like an archaeologist and analyze
evidence found with Otzi, the Iceman, a 5,300
year old mummy found in the Italian Alps in
1991.
 Using this evidence, you will make inferences
as to whom the Iceman was, and what might
have happened to him.
 First, some background….
The red arrow shows where hikers found the Iceman's body in
1991, poking out of ice at an altitude of about 10,500 feet.
Many artifacts were scattered around the body. The site, in the
Italian part of the Ötztal Alps, gave rise his nickname: Ötzi
This is a model of the Iceman site. Near his feet they found two
chunks of birch fungus on leather straps, a stone bladed dagger,
and shoes. Near the head was a pack containing a maple leaf.
Also found were an ax with a copper blade, two arrows, and
string.
Otzi was found by German tourists, Helmut and Erika Simon,
on September 19, 1991. The body was at first thought to be
a modern female hiker, tumbled down the mountain after an
accident.
It was roughly recovered by the Austrian authorities and taken to
Innsbruck, where its real age was finally discovered: 5,300 years old
Italy and Austria fought over Otzi, but Italy proved their claim.
He is now on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.
One piece of paper. All group members names on it.
1. What can you infer about the life and death of Otzi
from the body?
2. Explain the reasons for your inferences.
In the laboratory, researchers raised the temperature to 64°F to
thaw him on a sheet of sterilized aluminum foil in a box custommade to accommodate his crossed feet and oddly outstretched
left arm.
The 30 ounces of meltwater collected during the overnight
defrosting is being analyzed for cold-adapted bacteria:
Probing and snipping for nine hours, scientists harvested dozens
of biological clues about the life and death of the Iceman:
Neurosurgeons retrieved bits of a blood clot, suggesting brain
trauma around the time the Iceman died:
Near the Iceman's knee, a cross-shaped tattoo still stands out
on his leathery skin. It may have been a folk remedy for
arthritic joint pain:
Otzi had several tattoos on his body like these on his back. They
were made by cutting the skin and rubbing charcoal into the cut.
They may have been a form of acupuncture used to treat arthritis
Step 1: Artifacts
For each artifact your group will analyze the evidence:
 What do you notice about Otzi’s things? Make a list of
details/evidence.
 Example: Otzi’s ax is made from wood and copper.
Pure copper is very heavy.
The blade is very small.
Step 2-Inferences
 Put these inferences in order to create a story of who the
Iceman was and what happened to him.
 Example: Otzi carried the ax as a tool to help him survive. The
ax was too small to be a good weapon against big animals. It
would also not make a good weapon because copper is heavy
and would be hard to carry.
Step 3-Make a Story
 Put these inferences in order to create a story of who the
Iceman was and what happened to him.
 What is your group’s theory?
 Example: Otzi was man who liked to go on adventures. He
carried everything he would need with him because he went on
adventures alone. His ax could be used for many things like
gathering food, cutting plants for shelter, and cutting in to ice.
Otzi’s shoes had hay inside deerskin uppers with bearskin sole.
Artist’s Reconstruction of Shoe
Bearskin sole. Deerskin top. Rope inside. Hay between rope and deerskin.
Copper Axe
Fur Quiver- 14 arrows with two finished
Pouch, or belt
Two chunks of birch fungus on leather straps.
A maple leaf. its chlorophyll content indicates the leaf was picked when
green, most likely in late spring.
Flint blade and sheath.
A tangle of string, possibly bowstring.
After undergoing a nine-hour autopsy, Otzi is returned to 21°F.
Before putting Otzi back on display, he is coated him with a
fine spray of sterilized water, which freezes on contact to
protect him from contamination and dehydration.
At 21°F and 98.5 percent humidity, the museum mimics the glacial
environment that preserved him for more than five millennia
Photo scan of Otzi
 http://iceman.eurac.edu/
The Iceman's shoes—hay for warmth inside deerskin uppers
with bearskin sole—are among the oldest ever found:
Artist’s Reconstruction of Shoe
Bearskin sole. Deerskin top. Rope inside. Hay between rope and deerskin.
Copper Axe
Fur Quiver- 14 arrows with two finished
Two arrows served for hunting and self-defense
Pouch, or belt
Belt held fire starting kit and first aid materials
Two chunks of birch fungus on leather straps, possibly used to stop
bleeding and prevent infection, were part of a portable first-aid kit.
A maple leaf used to wrap embers; its chlorophyll content indicates the leaf
was picked when green, most likely in late spring:
The Iceman's dagger? Or Flint? Flint blade and sheath.
A tangle of string, possibly bowstring.
After undergoing a nine-hour autopsy, Otzi is returned
to 21°F. Then he will be moved to the large glass slab
on which he lies for public viewing
Before putting Otzi back on display, pathologist Eduard Egarter
Vigl coats him with a fine spray of sterilized water, which
freezes on contact to form a glistening glaze that protects him
from contamination and dehydration.
At 21°F and 98.5 percent relative humidity, the museum
mimics the glacial environment that preserved him for more
than five millennia
Photo scan of Otzi
 http://iceman.eurac.edu/