The endless riddle of Ötzi the Iceman
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The fate of Ötzi the Iceman - the holy grail of glacial archeology - is still shrouded in mystery. Who shot him, and why? Why did he climb 2000 meters in altitude in the days leading up to his death? These are the plausable, and less plausable theories behind the demise of the neolithic iceman.
We can only guess. I have flown over this area while I was in the military. It is absolutely amazing that someone during his time, could make that climb with such rudimentary equipment. But they were men of iron weren't they? The conditions for which they survived in, cannot even be Imagined in the difficulty of it. Of course all of this is absolutely fascinating! We know that he died from being wounded by an enemy.. or can we possibly suppose that perhaps he was the enemy of someone else..? Perhaps committing acts of violence himself, and deserving of his demise! Since we will never know, it is easier on the mind and heart, to Simply enjoy this amazing Discovery for what it is! A look back into that point of time, where Survival on a daily basis, was a great trial. They lived, they loved, they had children that they cared for, hunted, built, had tattoos, fashioned amazing weapons for their time, and consumed similar fare to us Farm people. Excellent look into his life and situation. I really enjoy these type of videos. Especially when looked at correctly :-)
I think a lot of people make the assumption that the items that were left on him were valuable or rare. They might have been, but I find it quite possible that they were not.
People had been making clothes from animal hides for a long time before he was born, enough time for the practice to become sophisticated especially if he lived near a community large enough for some specialization to occur. He might have been wearing clothes considered primitive by the people around him or, more likely, very common.
His bow and arrows and unfinished bow, along with his other tools, might have been the same. Even his ax is potentially not a valuable item. People had been smelting copper for thousands of years before his time and it could be everyone who thought they could use a copper ax head already had one or could get one easily. It is also a small item. A wagonload of copper ore would be another thing entirely.
I’m not trying to be contrarian here but just pointing out the mystery continues. We might want to make a lot about his clothes and items telling us a lot about the society he lived in but they might only tell us about him and his social class.
His bronze axe was certainly a luxury item.
But one can think of different reasons why his killer-s would not have taken it.
I think it was copper. That being said I agree with you. A copper ax head was not something many people could make for themselves.
I take the contrarian view because I want people to think outside the box. I want them to consider something like how available was copper ore and how widespread was the knowledge and ability to work it? Basically, I want people to defend their view with evidence even if I completely agree with their view.
@@wolfgangkranek376probably he got away from his enemy
Maybe he was just victim of a kind of blood feud.
I think we underestimate how important such things were in former times.
We can see relics of this phenomenon from Italy to the Balkans and over to the Caucasus.
People were even building high towers for those of their family who were target of a blood feud so that they were out of reach for other hostile families.
Of course such retreats didn't existed back then (as far as we know), but one also wouldn't have liked to encounter an enemy alone in the wilderness.
People back then certainly also were very territorial, with small and larger valleys under the control of a single family or clan. Some of them also controlling the few mountain paths that were accessible in winter.If you were at bad terms with them - tough luck.
We can see something similar even still today with isolated water wells in East African desert regions. If you don't belong to a tribe who owns them, using them can be deadly.
Anyway, a blood feud may also explain why his murderer-s didn't grab Ötzis bronze axe.
Because it would've given them away. Or they weren't aware that he was carrying it, if they had been in a state of commotion.
What we know is that he had two fights, from the first he could flee but did get already wounded and seem to have lost part of his belongings that he tried to replace while on flight.
But he was followed or ambushed later and didn't survive this second attack. Not dying instantly he may have still scared of his pursuer-s or even killing or wounding his enemy.
Amazing editing and effort in this video, gotta subscribe.
Great video. I often wonder actually happened. Was Otzi the good guy or the bad guy? Was he killed as part of warfare or was it a hunting accident someone tried to cover up.
What we know is he was shot in the back by an arrow. Could have been fired by a murderer waiting in ambush or fired by a "posse" chasing a criminal.
If he was shot elsewhere that could explain the lack of arrow shaft. He could have fallen against a rock and snapped it off then got up and kept moving to try and get to safety. Maybe he had travel companions that snapped it off for some reason (people often pull out imbedded objects when injured). It could be removed for hiding what happened, either by a murderer to conceal identity or a hapless hunting partner just in case someone found the body after saying that Otzi must have gotten lost as he never returned to camp.
People love this story as it is a mystery that can be interpreted so many ways. I like this find as it gives us a unique glimpse to what life (and death) was like thousands of years ago with organic artefacts rarely found.
Your theory about his death is basically what I think as well. It sound very realistic.
Otzi was in conflict with his clan; he broke some rules and ran away.
He was chased and shot from behind; he dragged himself to the mountains and died alone
My theory conforms very close to your's, differing only in details. I think Otzi was traveling over the mountains to Austria. He stopped to have his last meal (Ibex, deer and bread) at a place in the southern valley that we would call an Inn today. At the Inn, Otzi was among strangers when for some reason an argument broke out. The argument turned violent and Otzi defended himself with his knife (DNA from several people, probably blood stains, was found on his clothing) and significantly a recent unhealed cut was found on one of his hands between thumb and forefinger - a classical defensive wound. Possibly one or more of his assailants at the Inn were badly wounded or killed. Otzi then fled up the mountain and one of his assailants followed for revenge. The assailant caught up with Otzi, close enough for an arrow shot. Otzi was not immediately incapacitated so he hid - his assailant never found him, else he would have finished Otzi off and perhaps rob him of the copper axe which might have been valuable in that particular valley. Otzi was able to jerk the arrow shaft out of his back, but the arrowhead was left behind. He lost consciousness from blood loss and eventually froze to death. I think this is the full story of Otzi.
Great hypothesis, thanks for sharing! 🔥
@@campsitesweden You know, the peculiar position of his left arm - tight across his chest, under his body, as he lay face down - has always puzzled me. Then I thought of the arrow wound in his back, just below his right shoulder. The complete forensic examination found the arrow head, but there was never mention of the arrow shaft. We know that wooden objects were preserved over the 5,300 years he lay there in the ice. His unfinished bow and pack frame were recovered. So, what happened to the arrow shaft? Then it hit me! He used his left hand to try to jerk the complete arrow out of his shoulder, but the arrow head was left behind! He was too weak from blood loss to move his left arm to a more comfortable position before he lost consciousness. Well, it's one more detail that may be explained - I like to finish tasks before I quit - LOL! Cheers!
Agreed here that 'ritual killing' doesn't make sense from either the physical location (ritual killings where they have historically occurred were usually a pretty public group effort, something the location would not favor) or lack of much of any evidence that this was a cultural practice at that time.
What was he doing there at 10,500' elevation in this difficult landscape? "A man on a mission", as you observe, yes, so it would seem from his collection of kit. But what was that mission? Was he on a hunting expedition in search of game? Judging by what he'd been eating, the routine would appear to be 'you kill it and you eat it', that game wouldn't be carried any long distances. A journey from one place to another would seem more likely than a hunting expedition. So, why would he be traveling on such a difficult journey? (though that could imaginably have been somewhat routine; people apparently traveled long distances routinely, that skills, technology, ideas got spread this way)
He would appear to have been caught unaware. He was a hunter and likely a pretty good one. His situational awareness would be pretty keen and a chance encounter with someone else in the area would not likely result in a surprise contact and even if he were surprised, what possible motive could there be in a chance encounter to prompt such violence? One possibility, Otzie ran into someone who was just plain crazy who shot him just for the heck of it (that might actually be pretty near the top of the list of 'who and why' possibilities). Another possibility, he might have been a member of one cultural group that was in some conflict with another cultural group and a chance encounter between any members of those groups might turn violent. But wouldn't someone in such an instance want evidence of a victory to share? Maybe with Otzie being wounded, they wouldn't want to follow him because they knew him and his skills and might not want to risk their own life trying to follow him and possibly getting shot by Otzie who was now alerted to their presence. That could explain why he was left with all his possessions in any circumstance (then again, maybe there's another body still laying out there somewhere to account for Otzie still having all his kit...).
But the probability of a chance encounter at 10,000' in the middle of nowhere seems a bit of a remote possibility, even if it was on a frequented trail.
Yes, seems most likely he was intentionally hunted by someone who knew him, knew his plans and had some personal gain to be had from his death who had gotten to the site ahead of Otzie and sat in wait. Still, if Otzie was leaving an area, why would someone go to such lengths to go hunt him? Revenge? Had Otzie committed some great offense against someone? Great enough for that someone to want Otzie dead no matter what?
One of the best 'who done its' in history and puzzling out the why of it.
I've wondered if he possibly stole something, and the owner pursued Otzi, shot him with the arrow, and retrieved what was stolen. Or, assuming Otzi was attacked, was he with others, and all of them were attacked, or was he alone.
I could just imagine if it would be possible to tap into Otzi's brain by decoding his memories and events during his last moments on Earth. Maybe one day we will have the technology to identify all memory cells, be it, audio visual or action, then based on the body's response and hormones secretion then we can identify who killed him. The time will come when brains can still be made functional after someone's passing.
That would be amazing because we would be able to learn not only who killed him, but many other things like what language they spoke, how they lived, and what customs they had as a culture.
The story of Ötzi is a fascinating story indeed!
It is! 😊
Perhaps he was a member of a war party, or raiding party and they bumped into a rival party and exchanged arrows and insults and while he hid himself the rest dispersed? Perhaps the ice is hiding other members of his group? Anyway this is the find of a lifetime.
Your theory is a good one.!I have alway's thought,this ice man is someone of consequence,maybe he had a wife and daughter that would become somone elses wife or his daughter and his sheep and goats would be a good acquisition, someone profited from his death but could not take those possession's because they were unique as he is and would give away their crime.!Two clans inter mingling?
The blood from four different people was found on Otzi's gear. Two from one of his arrow heads, one from his knife, and the fourth from his coat!
Just want to say that there were human sacrifices on the Andes in Peru at high altitudes. Not sure how high, but I'm pretty sure it was above the timber line. These also became mummies. So, while I agree his being a sacrifice is unlikely, the height of the mountains isn't a solid reason to eliminate it. I've never seen anyone say that maybe he wasn't alone. There could have been two groups of men in some sort of altercation and Otzi's killer and a companion who stashed him in what shelter he could find and meant to come back were both killed, and that's why no one took the gear. And we will never know. Any other evidence or bodies got ground up by the glacier millennia ago...
I would guess he made someone or maybe a family or clan mad at him or committed a crime against them and they pursued him. They cought up with him somewhere near where he was found.
There were many tribes in those days who were natural enemies and constantly at war. Each claimed this region as their own for hunting. I think the perpetrator was cowardly. This hunter from another tribe saw him while on a hunt and considered him a trespasser. He hide behind a rock until he passed by then shot him in the back and ran for his life. Ötzi ran as far as he could knowing they would return with reinforcements to look for him. Ötzi was a common man with common equipment of the day. He was more experienced than most because of his age but there was nothing special about him. I believe he made his own tools and clothing and possible other tools for trade but his primary occupation was hunting and subsistence. No doubt he had a family back home.
It was shown he had sustained more than just the arrow, if I’m not mistaken. It was said that he had 3 different peoples blood on his clothing. 2 of his store heads also had humans blood on them. From 2 different people. The same blood was on his clothing, and his knife and axe if I’m not mistaken. It’s pretty bad ass knowing he was in a decent fight before death.
@@mr.pissedoff1903 Oh I will have to read up on that. Never heard of that claim, thanks.
the gaping hole on the top of his head, suggests the fella did not have much time to think about the journey from this world to the next. The type of injury suggests that he was in a conversation with someone in front of him, and there was someone behind him, the weapon used was less than 12 pounds, perhaps as little as four pounds, the injury that ventillated his existance was at an angle almost flush with his skull. He was about 2 meters tall, dressed in grass and was struck with a momentum of an object that opened a hole that circulated outside air to his cerebral cortex. He might not have been dead when he hit the ground, but he was in no condition to get up and explain.
the source of the incident, was from above, maybe a much larger, taller, and perhaps a guardian patrol of the mountains wanting to keep the riff raff out.
l think the gaping hole in his head was caused by the jackhammer used to delicately remove him from the ice!😊
i think he was pursuing someone. to motivate a man to climb into such horrible conditions, and then to sustain deadly injuries on top of the mountain. i think otzi was a man with a mission.
Perhaps he was shot by a companion hunter who mistook him for game. If he brought his belongings back to the village or home camp, his motives would have been suspect.
Its interesting that the arrow shaft has not been found despite many searches in the vicinity for his possessions.
Possibly the murderer removed it knowing it could identify him.
I don’t think they’d be able to identify the man by the arrow shaft. Plus, it’s probably not common to go through the alps too often, in those times. I’d like to believe he removed it, and tried to escape. Since he had multiple peoples blood on his weapons, arrows and clothing.
He most likely removed it so that he could re-use it. Tools and weapons took a long time to find the right shape and quality of materials and shape them down with crude tools and put them together to make a finished product. It took a lot of time and effort just to make a single arrow. So he probably wanted it back. That’s the most likely reason. There wasn’t much quality control and thus much consistency in tools enough to be able to identify a single arrow shaft and narrow down to a single individual.
If he removed it to reuse as you say because of the time and effort, he would have only salvaged the shaft and fletchings, why not take Otzi’s quiver and set of arrows and all his gear?
Back then Everything was individually hand made and I bet you would know an arrow made by your father or brother etc. Especially those who took pride in their work it would be noticed.
Outstanding info brother 🍻
Thanks!
Otzi was a notorious dacoit, ambushed and eliminated by persons of valley
I’ve always wondered if Otzi was the hunter, and chased someone up that mountain, caught up with them, losing the ensuing battle. The killer makes his escape, having got a lucky shot (from behind a rock, right?) and killed poor Otzi, whose remains were preserved by his own lucky shot at immortality.
The theory that he was sacrificed is absurd. The law of averages dictates that he was an average man. He was probably hunting, the skins and the meat probably were valuable at the time, it was definitely a dispute - possibly over hunting - I know people today would shoot someone over something we would consider trivial, even to this day people kill people over petty things. That meat and fur could have made the difference whether an entire family ate and or possibly starved.
The killer man have been up there for hours or days and Otzi got a kill and the other man robbed him, that may explain how Otzi got away (he dropped the Ibex or whatever he had hunted), the assailant shot Otzi for it, Otzi dropped it and ran, the assailant picked up the Ibex and took it home instead of tracking Otzi.
Agree that the sacrafice idea is not very probable.
That man had a family, father, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, sons, daughters, etc. Someone down below in the valley. Im sure he was hunting, probably not getting any luck hunting down below, up high in the mountains was probably a sure thing. His pack was for lashing on game that he’d killed. The murderers took nothing from him as his equipment would be recognized down below, except for the kill he’d made. Arrows to this day are expense, they removed the arrow and took none of his equipment as they didnt want his family below to recognize his belongings and know what they had done. When he didnt return, his family would assume the mountain had gotten him or the cold. The body would be covered in short order by snow and never found. This was a perfect crime that hasn’t been solved until just now.
Oh, and that isn’t an axe, its a tactical tomahawk - people dont bring axes into the mountains to chop down trees they cant haul back. That tomahawk is used to ambush Ibex or finish one that you’ve crippled with an arrow.
Good theory. I thought they said he was also hit over the head witch was also a fatal wound. I guess that’s also been debunked?
Did you do the talking before having coffee? 🤯 Anyways, captivating video, old friend. :)
Hi there Dan, yes it was scripted beforehand. Wouldn't be able to do it after that strong coffee 😊 Take care mate.
Está bastante bien tu teoría, opino algo similar, creo que hay que hacer incapié en la mala salud de Otzi, en su aparente infertilidad quizás producida por la endogamia lo que puede derivar en cierta dosis de problemas mentales. Quizás eso fue el causante de la disputa.
Also, what if he didn’t get away and whoever did him in did take items? He had arsenic in his hair. He might have had highly valuable items made from arsenic bronze.
Tetaratorial kill from what I have read.
Can you tell me why the iceman is blurred out please?
I felt while editing that it felt more appropriate, its human remains after all 🔥
@Campsite Sweden I totally understand the need to show respect and allow dignity to deceased people, that's a very valuable ethical consideration often dismissed, but in this case his image has been widely circulated for over 30 years. Yours is the only video of him on youtube I've so far found that has blurred out the image. This blurring is good practice for modern or historic bodies for privacy and to respect living descendents or related communities, but Ötzi is 5300 years old and has no living descendants or current day related cuture in existence. We only have a tenuous genetic link to modern sardinia and this only proves a common ancestry. I'm not saying any of this to guve criticsim for criticisms sake, I appreciate anyone who takes the time to create educational videos on Ötzi (archaeologist) but I couldn’t enjoy this particularly well as the blurring doesn't serve to protect anything as he has already been exposed in photographic, radiographic, microscopic and genetic detail and has been on display in the climate controlled tomb for many years now. I would have LOVED to see your video in its entirety as you've made the effort and used your time to make it, and the blurring is obscuring details that I love to appreciate. I don't believe it is disrespectful to include his image (in this case). Thank you for making the video, I'll check out your other work. I am grateful for your coverage!
Its a good video but would be much better without the background music. It's way to loud and it doesn't add anything to your video, in fact it takes away since it makes it very difficult to hear your narration.
Thank you for your feedback 👍🔥
He could well have been poaching or stealing from someone who shot him trying to get away.
We don´t know it the murderer(s) got away with it 😉Perhaps when he didn´t return, his relatives or associates started asking around.
ALL speculation.
Thats true
I heard somewhere that he had 3 peoples blood on his clothing, and weapons. I’d like to believe they may have had a confrontation, and fought. But then, that doesn’t explain the 2 peoples blood on the arrow heads. He might’ve shot the arrows at 2 people, one hides behind a rock, ötzi goes to possible kill the 2 shot attackers, collects his arrows. Then gets hit by the arrow. Possibly breaking the end off, which would explain it not being present. He then would bleed out. Maybe the killer couldn’t find his body, and therefore didn’t take his items. I like your theory, though. It would also explain why they wouldn’t take his stuff if they were from the same civilization.
when he died i am sure he screamed in a language we will never hear and thought as he faded thet he would not be found only to end up on display thousands of years from that one bad night on the mountain