What do the Iceman's Belongings Reveal About Himself & His Society?

As the Excavation continued, item's belonging to Otzi were eventually being revealed. These items significantly allow us, as the future generations to explore the past world of which Otzi lived in. Two insightful items found with the Iceman include:

• The cooper-bladed axe was the most vital item discovered alongside the iceman. The blade is approximately 9.5cm and was evidently used, as displayed by the attempts of securing the blade to the haft. We are able to discover that the axe was a perfect tool for felling trees and the Iceman would have probably used it as a weapon. The copper-head had changed views on history as it revealed that the people of Otzi’s time knew the methods of hating copper rich rocks, which was thought to not be known until approximately 1000 years after. During the 3000 B.C period, the copper axe also symbolised ranks, and therefore it may be inferred that the Iceman held a high class rank of possibly a tribal leader or warrior, a man of great importance.

• On his journey before his death, Otzi carried a First-Aid kit which consisted of two round lumps of materials threaded onto two hide strips. These lumps of materials were discovered to have been composed of the fruiting body of the birch polypore fungus. The toxic oil in the fungus contains antibiotic properties which would have aided the intestinal parasites. Otzi has suffered from this intestinal parasite disease which answers the question of why the fruiting body of the fungus was used. However, scientists did not have knowledge that the Iceman and people of his time had such an advanced knowledge of medicinal plants and fungi. This personal first aid kit, carried by Otzi on the belt acknowledged the fact that these curative properties had already been known by Otzi and his intelligent community in the stone age, which was much earlier than scientists had expected.

To find out more about Otzi's equipment and clothing found with his body, click here.