Voices: Long ago, a violent death for Otzi the iceman

BOLZANO, Italy — Twenty-five years ago this month, two hikers stumbled upon one of the great archaeological finds of the last century: the frozen, mummified remains and personal possessions of a man who died about 5,200 years ago.

Today, “Otzi” (named for the Otztal Alps where he was found) is on display here at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in a 21-degree cell with an observation window.

Scientists have learned a lot about Otzi, aka the Iceman. He was 5-foot-5, 110 pounds and 46 years old. He was arthritic and lactose intolerant. He had 61 small tattoos, possibly to relieve chronic pain.

And he was murdered.

Yes, the world’s oldest “wet’’ mummy (he was covered in ice and snow, unlike Egypt’s “dry’’ mummies) may also be its oldest confirmed homicide victim.

I came to town eager to see Otzi. Years ago, at bedtime, I’d read our sons a kids’ book about the discovery in 1991 and what it told us about life at the end of the Stone Age.

But the rest of the story, it turned out, was the stuff of nightmares.

In 2001, shortly after I’d retired from bedtime reading, X-rays and a CT scan revealed a tiny flint arrowhead tip in the mummy’s left shoulder. It would have pierced a key artery and induced rapid, fatal bleeding.

The arrow, scientists calculated, was shot from about 32 yards. But the “the murder weapon,’’ as museum guide Marlene Pfeifer describes it, was never found; since many other objects were still on or near Otzi when his body was discovered, the assumption is the assailant-archer retrieved the fatal arrow.

Otzi bears other signs of violent death:

• A deep right hand wound suggests hand-to-hand combat days or hours before his death.
• Different types of pollen in his system indicate he climbed from mountain to valley to mountain shortly before his death — possibly fleeing or chasing someone or something.
• A serious head wound, from a blow or fall.
• A knife clutched in his hand.

Mysteries abound. Only two of the 14 arrows in Otzi’s quiver had their flint tips; the rest were unfinished, possibly because he’d fired others recently. And his bow was unstrung and had never been used.

Otzi is a big deal here in Bolzano, a charming provincial capital just south of the awesome Dolomite Mountains. The city had no big cultural tourist attraction until the iceman’s arrival following the resolution of a dispute between Austria and Italy over in which nation he was found.

The museum was basically built to house his remains. When it opened in 1998, one of its four floors was devoted to Otzi; now, due to public demand, three are.

Otzi is also the subject of constant study. In recent years scientists have learned the color of his eyes (brown) and his blood type (O-positive). They’ve found that his hip joint was worn down by walking. He had whipworm, an intestinal parasite; suffered from Lyme disease; and had many cavities. (He apparently did not floss.) Next week, scientists will gather for the "Third Bolzano Mummy Congress'' marking the 25th anniversary.

As important as Otzi's corpse, which was half-frozen in ice but undisturbed by animals, are the items discovered with him, including his fine copper ax, comfortable shoes, fire starting kit and assortment of herbal remedies.

But our fascination with Otzi’s life is haunted by the memory of how it ended.

You can visit the museum every day except Monday, plunk down nine Euros and see the famous iceman lying in state. And you see something else: That violent death extends into our species’ mistiest past. In this year of Aleppo and Nice and Orlando and Dallas, it’s a scary bedtime story.

Hampson is USA TODAY national reporter