Ice Man: Who was He?

By studying Ötzi's leg bones, primarily his tibia, or shin bone, and comparing it to the shin bones of 139 other prehistoric men who lived from the Mesolithic age (Middle Stone Age) and from the Neolithic age (Late Stone Age), scientists led by Chr

Ruff continued, "He was more like the people who came before" (that is the people from the Mesolithic Age) and suggests that his occupation was "probably that of a high-altitude shepherd."

Bone studies (from nine different samples) suggest that, when he died, the Iceman was 45.7 years of age (give or take 5 years).

Dr. Wolfgang Müller, the lead author of the study, from the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University in Canberra explained: "From the enamel it is possible to reconstruct the composition of the water Ötzi drank and ge

The scientists deduced this by comparing the minerals in his tooth enamel with those in his bones.

By studying Ötzi's leg bones, primarily his tibia, or shin bone, and comparing it to the shin bones of 139 other prehistoric men who lived from the Mesolithic age (Middle Stone Age) and from the Neolithic age (Late Stone Age), scientists led by Christopher Ruff from John Hopkins University hoped to answer the question: how did the Iceman's measure up?

An article entitled "Iceman's Origins and Wanderings," published in Science, presents the results of a scientific study in which the minerals found in Ötzi's teeth, bones, and intestines were compared to those found in soil and water samples taken from a wide area of the Tyrolean Alps.

By studying Ötzi's leg bones, primarily his tibia, or shin bone, and comparing it to the shin bones of 139 other prehistoric men who lived from the Mesolithic age (Middle Stone Age) and from the Neolithic age (Late Stone Age), scientists led by Christopher Ruff from John Hopkins University hoped to answer the question: how did the Iceman's measure up?

The findings suggest that Ötzi was most likely born in Italian village of Feldthurns (also called Velturno; it is north of present-day Bolzano on the A22).

But a recent study published in the Journal of Human Evolution ("Body size, body proportions, and mobility in the Tyrolean ' Iceman,' " volume 51, issue 1, July 2006) suggests that he may have been a shepherd instead.

They also analyzed bits of mica found in his intestines (most likely these bits came from stones containing mica that were used to grind grain that the Iceman ate).

Ruff continued, "He was more like the people who came before" (that is the people from the Mesolithic Age) and suggests that his occupation was "probably that of a high-altitude shepherd."

Ötzi was named after the Ötzal Alps, the region in which his body was discovered.

They also analyzed bits of mica found in his intestines (most likely these bits came from stones containing mica that were used to grind grain that the Iceman ate).