1 | A Body in the Mountains
In 1991 , high in the mountains of Europe, hikers made a gruesome¹
discovery: a dead man partly frozen in the ice. The police investigation
soon became a scientific one. Carbon dating² indicated that the man died
5 over 5.300 years ago. Today, he is known as the Iceman and nicknamed
“Ötzi” for the Ötztal Alps where he was found. Kept in perfect condition
by the ice, he is the oldest complete human body found on Earth.
| Who Was the Iceman?
Scientists believe Ötzi was an important person in his society.
10 Examinations of his teeth and skull tell us that he was not a young man.
His arms were not the arms of a laborer. The things he carried also tell us
about who he was. His knife was made of stone, but he carried a copper³
ax. This was a valuable tool in Ötzi’s time and implies that he was a
wealthy man. A fire-starting kit was discovered with him, so we know