As with all archaeological human remains found and investigated, the issues of custodianship and ownership as well as the ethics involved lie alongside it.
After the three long and difficult days of recovering the Iceman’s body, the request of the public prosecutor brought the corpse to the Institute of Foreign Medicine in Innsbruck, Austria for investigation. Soon after recovering this historical mystery, rumours arose, in regards to the discovery of the Iceman being on the Italian side of the border, rather than the Austrian soil as originally assumed. This border question posed triggered a new survey to be carried out which confirmed the find of the Iceman was 92.56m from the border, on the side of South Tyroi, Italy. This led to the claims of property rights by South Tyroi, although they had allowed the Innsbruck University to retain the corpse until they had finished with their scientific investigations. In 1998, Otzi was returned to his rightful home Italy where further investigations were conducted.
As with displaying any other ancient human remains, ethics are a vital aspect to consider. With the Iceman being oldest stone-aged body intact, it was certain that ethical debates would arise and therefore, great importance was paid to the restraining display of the body. The Iceman section of the museum possesses a very scientific and tranquil atmosphere where architecture and presentations remain simple in order to allow the importance of the body to successfully dominate. The display is sectioned off into a special exhibition room which gives visitors the chance to view the body only if desired. There is a 30 x 40cm opening of which viewers can obtain a clear image of the mummy and many systems are installed to carefully monitor the Iceman. All other equipment discovered with the Iceman has also been carefully replicated to ensure the original do not suffer from any damage. The display of the Iceman took ethical issues into great consideration which allows the viewing of the ancient ancestral body to be respectful and the body itself to be respected.
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| Otzi respectfully on display |
Hi there, the custody of Ötzi should be with Italy, as his Tatoos clearly state he is from Vernago valley Italy. He was found at the top part of his home range.
ReplyDeleteÖtzi belongs to Italy, as you will eventually find. The tattoos tell where he is from. The lines on his wrist, the decorative patterns on his body show he is from Vernago Italy. He was found at the top part of his range. Close to grazing plains. The valley below for wintering. Thank you for your attention.
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