Fight at the pass

It was well after noon when they finally reached the pass—at an altitude of about 3,000 meters above sea level. They were at the very border, on the dividing line between the northern and southern sections of the Alps. And then, probably unexpectedly, they were attacked by at least three assailants. The drama that unfolded then, which ended the Iceman's life, has only recently been revealed with incredible precision. DNA testing of blood preserved on the knife, arrow, and clothing helped us in this regard. The blood belonged to four individuals. No material trace of them remains—although the fight likely ended with the deaths of three people, and their remains may lie somewhere in the ice near where Ótzi was found (or much further—the glacier is still flowing). However, there is no longer any doubt that Hibernatus did not die quietly and alone. It is difficult to determine the exact sequence of events, but the fight must have been violent, long, and bloody. Two key discoveries that allow for its reconstruction were made in the last two years, and their interpretation is still ongoing. The first concerns a flint arrowhead still embedded in Ótzi's body, and the second involves analysis of blood on one of his arrows. The world learned about the arrowhead, embedded under the skin, exactly ten years after Hibernatus was found, when detailed X-rays were taken again. Someone shot Ótzi from behind and below. The arrow struck the left side of his back, slid across his shoulder blade, where it left a scratch, and lodged deep within his body, 3 cm from his left lung. This had fatal consequences for him, leaving him partially paralyzed on his left side.

The arrow shaft was missing—someone had removed it, likely intending to reuse it. Arrows were valuable back then, as preparing them took a long time. The stab in the back likely decided the outcome of the fight and sealed the Iceman's fate.