Who Killed Otzi?

April 28, 2017 11:25 AM

Often called the Iceman, he is the world’s most perfectly preserved mummy, a Copper Age fellow who had been frozen inside a glacier along the northern Italian border with Austria until warming global temperatures melted the ice and two hikers discovered him in 1991. Now clues emerge about his death.
posted by infini (21 comments total)

Fascinating stuff!

When the head of a small Italian museum called Detective Inspector Alexander Horn of the Munich Police, she asked him if he investigated cold cases.

“Yes I do,” Inspector Horn said, recalling their conversation.

“Well, I have the coldest case of all for you,” said Angelika Fleckinger, director of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, in Bolzano, Italy.

I'd watch the crap out of this show, by the way. (Hello BBC? Netflix?)
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:58 AM on April 28, 2017 [25 favorites]

I'll bet Jessica Fletcher was visiting that village....
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:59 AM on April 28, 2017 [8 favorites]

I'd watch the crap out of this show, by the way. (Hello BBC? Netflix?)

Already done by the BBC.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:05 PM on April 28, 2017 [8 favorites]

Wow, fascinating is exactly the word I would use too. Unbelievable that they've managed to piece together so much. Thanks for the great link.
posted by Jubey at 12:08 PM on April 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

wow!! what a fun and fascinating read! I have long been interested in Otzi and its amazing how much he has to tell us after 5000 years.
posted by supermedusa at 12:15 PM on April 28, 2017 [3 favorites]

It was Ted Cruz's grandfather.
posted by ocschwar at 12:18 PM on April 28, 2017 [5 favorites]

This is super cool.
posted by PMdixon at 12:42 PM on April 28, 2017

warming global temperatures

The current preferred nomenclature is "climate control."
posted by valkane at 12:55 PM on April 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Anyone know how the heck they figured out how far away the shot was taken from?
posted by Mitheral at 12:55 PM on April 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

I would have guessed that the range was derived from trajectory, but they mention that they're not sure if he was shot from below, or from above while he was leaning forward, so they are unsure about the trajectory. I'd guess then that the range was derived from arrow penetration, in conjunction with estimated projectile weight and bow weight.
posted by agentofselection at 1:21 PM on April 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Also that reconstruction looks very generous to Ötzi. No way that model is of a 110-lb man with low upper-body strength and small hands as he is described in the article.
posted by agentofselection at 1:24 PM on April 28, 2017 [2 favorites]

They may be eligible for the ten seashell reward offered by Lawtalker Floorp, Licker of Rocks for information leading to an arrest in the case.
posted by dr_dank at 2:08 PM on April 28, 2017 [13 favorites]

They may be eligible for the ten seashell reward offered by Lawtalker Floorp, Licker of Rocks for information leading to an arrest in the case.

I, for one, would very much like to see this version of Law and Order.
posted by PlusDistance at 2:19 PM on April 28, 2017 [12 favorites]

Otzi is one of the great treasures of the world, IMHO. Such astonishing preservation, and from one of the key transitional eras of human history as we moved from stone to metal, as well as a society that was agricultural but still reliant on hunting and gathering to supplement that.
posted by tavella at 3:19 PM on April 28, 2017 [4 favorites]

PlusDistance: I, for one, would very much like to see this version of Law and Order.

That would be worth it to have Cro-Magnon Ice-T: "It new craze. Youngs pull out body hair and walk with knuckles off ground. Call it Homo Erecting".
posted by dr_dank at 4:06 PM on April 28, 2017 [5 favorites]

Fascinating. And if you're interested, you can purchase the incredibly well made boots, highly suited for hiking.
posted by bluesky43 at 6:22 PM on April 28, 2017

agentofselection: "I'd guess then that the range was derived from arrow penetration, in conjunction with estimated projectile weight and bow weight."

So basically an informed wild ass guess considering the range of possible draw weights.
posted by Mitheral at 7:47 PM on April 28, 2017 [2 favorites]

I would imagine the terrain would give clues as well, like distance to nearest cover.
posted by cookie-k at 9:43 PM on April 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

It also mentions that he'd made camp in a gully, so it would be equally possible for someone to shoot him from above as to shoot from behind and below, depending how Ötzi had situated himself.
posted by tracicle at 2:50 PM on April 29, 2017

There is one thing they are unlikely to discover, as Inspector Horn noted with a chuckle. “I’m not optimistic we’ll find the offender in Ötzi’s case.”

Wouldn't hold out much hope for the tape deck though. Or the Creedence.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:43 PM on April 29, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'll bet Jessica Fletcher was visiting that village....

Somehow nobody suspects!
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:50 AM on April 30, 2017 [2 favorites]