Hibernatus from South Tyrol

Who was Ótzi? What do we know about him today, 12 years after his discovery and 5,300 years after his death? We already know a great deal, and the last two days of his life are known in detail. He was 46 years old when he set out on his final journey, standing 159 cm tall—a member of the not-so-large population of people known as the Alpine race. He was well-built, but not the picture of health—he suffered from mild rheumatism and had digestive problems related to parasites (eggs of Trichurus trichura, or whipworms, were found in his intestines). However, these were not serious ailments and were certainly not uncommon among his tribesmen.

He belonged to an agricultural community that cultivated a primitive variety of wheat known by the German name Einkorn—grains of which were found in his large intestine, along with the remains of his penultimate meal (the last one was still stuck in the anterior part of the small intestine; his stomach was already empty).

Knowing the speed at which food passes through the human digestive system, it was possible to determine the order and—approximately—time of the last meals. He came from one of the valleys of South Tyrol, most likely born near the present-day village of Feldthurns (Yelturno), located 20 km north of Bolzano. However, he spent most of his time in the valley further north. He was not a wanderer—during his life, he never traveled more than 60 km from his birthplace.

All this information stems from detailed studies of the mineralogical composition and isotopic analysis of the bones and tooth enamel, as well as genetic studies – people with nucleotide sequences similar to his still live in the area today. He approached the border from the south, not the north – this resolved the dispute between Austria and Italy over the right to possess the mummy.

He likely went hunting in the mountains, as evidenced by the equipment found (a knife, a hatchet, a bow, and a quiver of arrows). Unless he feared another threat before his final mission, he was very far-sighted. In his home village, he also smelted copper—high concentrations of the metal, as well as arsenic, were found in his hair.