Post by Potsy on Jun 19, 2024 17:37:46 GMT -5
Ötzi The Iceman Murder Mystery
The cause of death remained uncertain until 10 years after the discovery of the body.[79] It was initially believed that Ötzi died from exposure during a winter storm. Later it was speculated that he may have been a victim of a ritual sacrifice, perhaps for being a chieftain.[80][81] This explanation was inspired by theories previously advanced for the bodies recovered from peat bogs such as the Tollund Man and the Lindow Man.[81]
Arrowhead and blood analyses
In 2001, X-rays and a CT scan revealed that Ötzi had an arrowhead lodged in his left shoulder when he died[82] and a matching small tear on his coat.[83] The discovery of the arrowhead prompted researchers to theorize Ötzi died of blood loss from the wound, which would probably have been fatal even if modern medical techniques had been available.[84] Further research found that the arrow's shaft had been removed before death, and close examination of the body found bruises and cuts to the hands, wrists and chest and cerebral trauma indicative of a blow to the head. One of the cuts, to the base of his thumb, reached down to the bone but had had no time to heal before his death. Currently, it is believed that Ötzi bled to death after the arrow shattered the scapula and damaged nerves and blood vessels before lodging near the lung.[85]
DNA analyses taken in 2003 are claimed to have revealed traces of blood from at least four other people on his gear: one from his knife, two from a single arrowhead in his quiver, and a fourth from his coat.[86][87] Interpretations of these findings are that Ötzi killed two people with the same arrow and was able to retrieve it on both occasions, and the blood on his coat was from a wounded comrade he may have carried over his back.[83] Ötzi's posture in death (frozen body, face down, left arm bent across the chest) could support a hypothesis that, before death occurred and rigor mortis set in, the Iceman was turned onto his belly in the effort to remove the arrow shaft.[88] The Cambridge World History of Violence (2020) cited Ötzi as evidence of prehistoric warfare.[89]
Alternative theory of death location
Most research has assumed that Ötzi died at roughly the spot where he was found.[90] In 2010, it was proposed that Ötzi died at a much lower altitude and was buried higher in the mountains, as posited by archaeologist Alessandro Vanzetti of the Sapienza University of Rome and his colleagues.[90] According to their study of the items found near Ötzi and their locations, the iceman may have been placed above what has been interpreted as a stone burial mound, but his body subsequently moved with each thaw cycle that created a flowing watery mixture driven by gravity before being re-frozen.[91] While archaeobotanist Klaus Oeggl of the University of Innsbruck agrees that the natural process described probably caused the body to move from the ridge that includes the stone formation, he pointed out that the paper provided no compelling evidence to demonstrate that the scattered stones constituted a burial platform.[91] Moreover, biological anthropologist Albert Zink argues that the iceman's bones display no dislocations that would have resulted from a downhill slide and that the intact blood clots in his arrow wound would show damage if the body had been moved up the mountain.[91] In either case, the burial theory does not contradict the likelihood of a violent cause of death. Wikipedia
The cause of death remained uncertain until 10 years after the discovery of the body.[79] It was initially believed that Ötzi died from exposure during a winter storm. Later it was speculated that he may have been a victim of a ritual sacrifice, perhaps for being a chieftain.[80][81] This explanation was inspired by theories previously advanced for the bodies recovered from peat bogs such as the Tollund Man and the Lindow Man.[81]
Arrowhead and blood analyses
In 2001, X-rays and a CT scan revealed that Ötzi had an arrowhead lodged in his left shoulder when he died[82] and a matching small tear on his coat.[83] The discovery of the arrowhead prompted researchers to theorize Ötzi died of blood loss from the wound, which would probably have been fatal even if modern medical techniques had been available.[84] Further research found that the arrow's shaft had been removed before death, and close examination of the body found bruises and cuts to the hands, wrists and chest and cerebral trauma indicative of a blow to the head. One of the cuts, to the base of his thumb, reached down to the bone but had had no time to heal before his death. Currently, it is believed that Ötzi bled to death after the arrow shattered the scapula and damaged nerves and blood vessels before lodging near the lung.[85]
DNA analyses taken in 2003 are claimed to have revealed traces of blood from at least four other people on his gear: one from his knife, two from a single arrowhead in his quiver, and a fourth from his coat.[86][87] Interpretations of these findings are that Ötzi killed two people with the same arrow and was able to retrieve it on both occasions, and the blood on his coat was from a wounded comrade he may have carried over his back.[83] Ötzi's posture in death (frozen body, face down, left arm bent across the chest) could support a hypothesis that, before death occurred and rigor mortis set in, the Iceman was turned onto his belly in the effort to remove the arrow shaft.[88] The Cambridge World History of Violence (2020) cited Ötzi as evidence of prehistoric warfare.[89]
Alternative theory of death location
Most research has assumed that Ötzi died at roughly the spot where he was found.[90] In 2010, it was proposed that Ötzi died at a much lower altitude and was buried higher in the mountains, as posited by archaeologist Alessandro Vanzetti of the Sapienza University of Rome and his colleagues.[90] According to their study of the items found near Ötzi and their locations, the iceman may have been placed above what has been interpreted as a stone burial mound, but his body subsequently moved with each thaw cycle that created a flowing watery mixture driven by gravity before being re-frozen.[91] While archaeobotanist Klaus Oeggl of the University of Innsbruck agrees that the natural process described probably caused the body to move from the ridge that includes the stone formation, he pointed out that the paper provided no compelling evidence to demonstrate that the scattered stones constituted a burial platform.[91] Moreover, biological anthropologist Albert Zink argues that the iceman's bones display no dislocations that would have resulted from a downhill slide and that the intact blood clots in his arrow wound would show damage if the body had been moved up the mountain.[91] In either case, the burial theory does not contradict the likelihood of a violent cause of death. Wikipedia