Ötzi

Hello, my name is Ötzi. For thousands of years, I was hidden, frozen in a secret bed of ice high in the mountains. Then, on September 19th, 1991, two hikers named Helmut and Erika Simon were walking in the Ötztal Alps when they found me. At first, they didn't know who I was, but scientists soon discovered something amazing. I am a mummy from the Copper Age. The ice had perfectly preserved my body for over 5,000 years, making me a window into a time long, long ago. I am a real person who lived and breathed, and now I have a story to tell you about my world.

My life took place around the year 3300 BCE, a time you call the Copper Age. If you could have seen me then, you would have noticed the many tattoos on my skin. Scientists today have counted more than 60 of them. They have also studied me closely and learned that my health wasn't perfect; my joints were a bit worn, and my teeth had some problems. In my village, daily life was busy. We were farmers and hunters. My diet was quite varied, and scientists learned that my last meals included grains like einkorn wheat, different plants, and the meat of an ibex and a red deer. We used everything we could find in nature to survive and build our lives.

To survive in the cold mountains, I needed excellent gear, and I was very well-prepared. I wore warm, layered clothing that I or someone in my village made from different animal skins. My leggings were made from goat skin, my coat was a mix of sheep and goat skin, and I even had a bearskin cap to keep my head warm. To keep my feet dry and comfortable, I stuffed my shoes with soft grass. My tools were just as amazing. I carried a very special and rare axe with a blade made of pure copper. This was a new and valuable technology in my time. I also had a longbow made from yew wood, ready for hunting, and a pouch containing a fire-starting kit with flint and fungus to create sparks for a warm fire.

My final journey took me high into the mountains. I don’t remember everything, but scientists have pieced together what happened. They found a small stone arrowhead lodged deep in my left shoulder, which means I was injured. I must have been very tired and hurt. I found a sheltered spot to lie down and rest, hoping to recover. But while I was resting, a sudden and powerful snowstorm swept through the Alps. The snow and ice covered me completely, and that is how I remained, perfectly frozen in time, until I was found thousands of years later.

I was about 45 years old when my journey ended. Even though my life was over, my story was just beginning. My discovery in 1991 gave scientists an incredible gift. By studying my body, my clothes, and my tools, they have learned more about life during the Copper Age than they ever knew before. I am a direct link to the ancient past. Today, you can visit me at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, where my story continues to teach people about a world that disappeared long ago.