Back to Archaeological Sites
Back to Archaeological Sites
Ötzi
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Ötzi
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Ötzi.
This is a beautifully made model of what Ötzi looked like, and his clothing and equipment.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Ötzi.
Close up of Ötzi showing his copper axe.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Ötzi.
Close up of Ötzi showing his shoes, made of grass cord and leather.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
One of the two birch bark containers that Ötzi had with him.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Close up of the quiver and the fletchings on the arrows Ötzi had with him.
The recreators of the arrows seem to have used two methods for attaching the feathers.
1. They seem to have cut a groove in each side of the shaft of the arrow, and glued a half feather into the groove.
2. They also seem to have attached the feathers merely by binding the feathers on to the shaft.
Notice also what appears to be a piece of bone attached with cord to the end of the arrow, with a groove carved in it to accept the bow string.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
View of the quiver and Ötzi's back and clothing.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Attachment of the quiver.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Rear view showing hat, quiver, arrows, bow and clothing.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Where Ötzi was found, in the South Tyrol, in the Italian Alps.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
X-ray (or ultrasound?) of Ötzi's chest, with the arrow head which killed him shown on the left in a different colour.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Another X-ray of Ötzi's chest, with the arrow head which killed him shown circled.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
The steel rod shows the point of entry of the arrow in Ötzi's chest.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
A superb recreation of what Ötzi looked like when first found. The effect is obtained by having the model inside a translucent case, with viewing ports, to give the impression of a body encased in ice.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
The copper axe - weapon or symbol?
Ötzi's best item was his copper axe. It is unique in being the only perfectly preserved prehistoric axe in the world. Because of the soft copper cutting edge, it was initially assumed that the axe was an emblem of rank, a status symbol of a warrior or chieftain which only the elite could carry. However, wear patterns on the axe and experiments with a reconstructed axe showed that Ötzi's axe was capable of felling trees.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Here is how the axe could have been cast, by pouring molten copper into a sandstone mold.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Perfect equipment
Ötzi carried with him everything he needed to kindle a camp fire and fashion weapons. His equipment allowed him to remain away from his home for long periods. In his belt pouch he carried tinder for starting fires as well as flint blades and drills. A touch up tool served to resharpen the blades. He carried a dagger in a finely braided bast scabbard hanging from his belt, where it was always to hand. His quiver contained animal sinews, a bundle of antler tips and 14 arrow shafts, two of which were ready to shoot and 12 unfinished. The bow was also unfinished.
The photos at left show the bundle of antler tips.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Expert in woods?
Ötzi's equipment was made of natural materials such as leather, wood and grass. The variety of woods used is astonishing. Evidently the most suitable material was selected for each item: tough resin-free yew for the bow and the axe haft, straight grained wood for the dagger handle, resilient hazel for the bent pack frame. People of the copper age had detailed knowledge of materials, much of which is lost to our modern civilisation.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Where did Ötzi live?
Ötzi lived south of the main Alpine ridge. This is indicated by pollen, teeth and wood analyses as well as his flints, which came from the Lake Garda region, and his axe, whose shape is known from the Remedello culture on the Po plain. Ötzi could have been a member of the Tamins-Carasso-Isera 5 Alpine cultural group, which settled in the Vinschgau Valley. If only Öti had also taken along a piece of stoneware or ceramic with hima clear regional classification would have been possible, as every cultural group had a unique way of shaping, decorating and firing clay.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Ötzi's fur cap.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Ötzi's knife, flint hafted on wood.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Construction of Ötzi's shoes. They appear to have had grass soles, shod with leather, with woven grass cords with grass woven between the cords on top to hold the foot and keep it warm, and with a leather "apron" in front to protect the foot from snow.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Touching up tool for sharpening flint blades. The handle is made from lime wood, with a small piece of deer antler hardened in the fire set into it.
Photo taken by Don Hitchcock at the travelling exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW Australia February 2008
Back to Archaeological Sites