Head Injuries May Have Done In the Iceman
June 12, 2013
Blows to the head, not an arrow wound, may have killed the Iceman, whose frozen, 5,300-year-old body was discovered in the Italian Alps in 1991, according to new research by scientists from Saarland and Kiel universities in Germany. The Iceman’s preserved body was found by hikers in an area called Ötztaler, along the borders of Italy and Austria. Nicknamed Ötzi, after that location, the mummy is kept frozen in a special museum in Bolzano, Italy. Ötzi has since become one of the most-studied human mummies. Scientists have reconstructed Ötzi’s face, hair, and clothing, the tools he carried, and even identified the contents of his last meal. Researchers have also tried to determine the cause of his death.
In 2001, scientists examining the body with X rays discovered what appears to be a stone arrowhead embedded in Ötzi’s chest. This discovery led some researchers to suggest that the Iceman may have been fleeing from enemies over the mountains when he was ambushed from behind. They believed Ötzi could have escaped his enemies but may have bled to death a short time later, at the spot where he was found.
The German researchers recently reopened Ötzi’s cold-case file after noticing dark spots in the back of the Iceman’s head on a CT scan taken in 2001. Forensic experts know that such spots suggest a possible head injury. To follow up on this clue, they obtained two tiny samples of brain tissue from the body. A chemical analysis of the tissue samples identified several substances that provide clues about Ötzi’s last hours. One of the substances was fibrin, a white, fibrous protein that makes up most of a blood clot. The researchers also saw clotted blood cells when looking at the samples under a microscope. As many as 10 other proteins, all related to stress response and wound healing, were also identified in the brain tissue samples.
These findings led the researchers to conclude that Ötzi’s brain had been bruised shortly before his death. They recognized that this kind of bruising often follows blows to the head. Because the proteins studied by the researchers disappear quickly from the body, the researcher concluded that Ötzi died soon after the attack. The new research suggests the Iceman may have been only wounded by the arrow. His unknown enemies may then have caught up with him to deliver a fatal coup de grâce (finishing blow). But the researchers also acknowledged that Ötzi may have suffered the brain injuries when falling over after being struck by the arrow.
Additional articles in World Book:
- Mummy
- Archaeology (2001) (a Back in Time article)
- Medical Tales from the Crypt (a special report)