Scientists have again examined the DNA of the renowned glacier mummy known as Oetzi the Iceman to create a more precise portrayal of this prehistoric hunter decades after he was found in the Italian Alps. The Cell Genomics research, released Wednesday, illuminates Oetzi's ancestry, appearance, and health.
Oetzi died after being hit in the back by an arrow and stuck in the ice around 5,000 years ago. Hikers found his "natural mummy," well-preserved bones, in the Tyrolean Alps near the Austrian-Italian border in 1991.
A copper ax, longbow, and bearskin headgear were found along with his remains, according to The Columbian. Oetzi's mummy is now exhibited in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. These items have shed crucial light on life during the period.
The Ice Man's genome was first released in 2012, but new findings in ancient DNA studies encouraged researchers to reexamine his genes. One of the study's authors and geneticists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, Johannes Krause, revealed that the group utilized DNA taken from Oetzi's hip bone to conduct a more in-depth investigation.
How Oetzi Looked Like?
The results revealed a startling portrait of the ancient ice man. Oetzi was shown to have been predominantly derived from Anatolian farmers in modern-day Turkey, contrary to earlier theories.
His look also differed from previously thought, with a balding head and darker complexion, per CNN. These results expose the biases that may affect historical reconstructions and cast doubt on popular notions of what individuals in the Stone Age may have looked like.
