Ötzi the Iceman

Ötzi the Iceman is an exceptionally well-preserved natural human male mummy, found in 1991 in the Schnalstal glacier in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy. He is believed to have lived around 3300 BC, and died either as a result of exposure on the snowy mountain, or after being bludgeoned to death in a fight. He is Europe's oldest natural mummy, and offeres a fascinating glimpse of Chalcolithic period humans.

He was around 45 when he died. Because his body was covered with ice, it was largely preserved before decomposition began to set in. After being found by German tourists Helmut and Erika Simon in September 1991, his body was haphazardly removed by Austrian authorities, then taken to a morgue in Innsbruck. Because it was later established that his body was found inside the Italian border, he was eventually handed over to Italian authorities. Since 1998 he has been on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano.

In 2010, German researchers anounced they are again analysing Otzi's DNA, this time taken from the Iceman's pelvis. They expect the results to be published in 2011.