Tales of Otzi the Iceman Trivia Quiz

Answer: Homo Sapien Sapien

Although some scientists would classify Otzi as "Homo tyrolensis" because of his discovery in the Tyrolean Oetztaler Alps, there is no mistaking the fact that he was a homo sapien sapien. He is believed to have lived approximately 5300 years ago, long after the disappearance of Neanderthals or Cro Magnon man.

It appears that Otzi was about forty-five years old at the time of his death - which would have been fairly old at that time! He was 5'3" tall and weighed 110 pounds with brown eyes and hair. Due to the circumstances of his death near the glacier, his body was in an amazing state of preservation; the brain, internal organs, and one of his eyeballs, among other anatomical body parts, were still intact.

Answer: Copper Age

One of the artifacts found with Otzi, an amazing copper axe with a yew handle, shows that Otzi was likely living during the Copper Age. That means that his people were farming (which began during the Neolithic Age), living in small communities, and smelting metal.

In fact, some believe that Otzi himself was a metal worker; an analysis of his hair shows high levels of arsenic and pieces of copper. The axe head is very finely made of 99.7% copper metal. This discovery has changed the way archaeologists viewed the beginning of the Copper Age in Europe; before the discovery it was thought that people who lived in Otzi's time had not yet learned metalworking.

Answer: He was murdered.

The theories regarding Otzi's death have been evolving since the discovery of his body. At first it was thought that Ötzi had died in an accident in the mountains; an x-ray revealed in 2001 that an arrowhead was embedded in his shoulder. It had severed the subclavian artery; with all the wonders of medical science today, a person with a similar wound would have little chance of surviving such an injury. Otzi probably bled to dead in a matter of minutes.

But wait! Evidence of trauma to the head also exists. Could it have been caused by the fall? Or was he hit? A CAT scan in 2013 revealed a fatal blow to the back of the head.

Interestingly, the shaft to the arrow had been removed - either by Otzi or his assailant?

Answer: They indicated areas where an early type of accupuncture might have been used.

Otzi, considered to be oldest tattooed mummy in existence, was found to have sixty-one tattoos. They were not made with ink; instead, fine lines were etched in the skin and were then rubbed with charcoal. Located in areas where clothing covered the body, no one could see them; it is believed, therefore, that they were not used to symbolize wealth, status, or decoration. So what would have been the purpose of tattoos placed along the spine, knees, calves, and ankles? Modern scientists, after a careful examination of mummy, believe that these were areas where Otzi experienced injuries or pain.

They suggest that he may have had treatments such as acupuncture or acupressure. If so, this would predate by thousands of years the earliest known similar treatment in China!

Answer: Diabetes

Careful study of Otzi's mummy has revealed that while he was relatively old, he was not especially healthy. He carried a medical kit that contained a fungus, "Piptoporus betulinus", which helped treat the whipworm parasite in his intestine, causing diarrhea that would help get ride of the parasite's eggs (some were found in his intestine) and help rid him of any other intestinal bugs. Studies also produced a full genome of "H. pylori", a common stomach bug responsible for ulcers, for which Otzi apparently ingested some hornbeam before his death. One of his fingernails, found at the site but not on the mummy, also revealed a Beau's line, which indicates a compromised immune system, and that he was seriously ill in the months before his death. As if those issues weren't enough, scientists also believe that Otzi was lactose intolerant and may have suffered from Lyme disease.

Answer: He wore well-made clothing from skins, hides, and other natural fibers.

The clothing worn by Otzi was surprisingly well-made, sewn together with sinew, and made from a wide assortment of materials. His loincloth was made of sheepskin, and leggings were constructed from goatskin. He wore of cape that was women from grass; his hat was made of bearskin.

His waterproof shoes, complete with shoelaces made of leather from wild cows, were made with such a clever design that there has been talk of replicating them in the modern market! Some scientists believe that Otzi's clothes prove he was a herder and lived in a herding community.

The wear on the left side of his teeth leads some to think that he was also tanned his own leather.

Answer: To carry embers to make fire.

Otzi did carry a very sophisticated-for-his-time kit for making fire, which included a type of tinder mushroom fungus and other plants, flint, and pyrite. The handiest accessories, however, had to have been the containers made of birch bark. These containers would keep charcoal embers hot for a long while, so that it was much easier to start a fire.

By the way, he did also have a medical kit, which contained an anti-bacterial fungus.

Answer: He had a new tattoo.

A deep cut to Otzi's right hand, scientists believe, indicates that he was involved in hand-to-hand combat a few days before his death. His last meal, eaten a couple of hours before his death, suggests that he ate a meal of grains and meat from an ibex, a species of wild goat.

The contents of his stomach, surprising, gave a clue as to the time of year Otzi died; it contained pollen from the hornbeam tree which only blooms in Otzi homeland from March to June. A 2003 study of DNA revealed that Otzi had blood belonging to four other individuals on his dagger, coat, and arrowhead.

It is believed that the blood on the coat was caused by carrying a wounded companion, or at least assisting him while walking. Some theorize that his settlement might have been involved in some type of border war over pasture/farm land.

Answer: False

Otzi is not the oldest know preserved human mummy; the Chinchorro mummies, found in northern Chile hold that distinction. The oldest naturally preserved mummy, found in the Atacama Desert, dates to approximately 7020 BC, while artificially mummified remains date to about 5050 BC.

In comparison, the oldest Egyptian mummy discovered dates to around 3000 BC. Otzi is, however, the oldest known naturally preserved human mummy found in Europe.

Answer: True

The analysis of Otzi's DNA has shown that he had a rare Y-chromosome mutation known as G-L91. Out of blood samples taken from 4,000 people in Austria, 19 men were found living in the Tyrol region where Otzi lived with the same mutation! Forensic scientists believe that these 19 men and Otzi had the same ancestors.

In 2013 plans were being made to study blood samples from men in Italy and Switzerland; it appears that Otzi's maternal DNA is extinct.