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| Ötzi the iceman |
Some time ago I
wrote a post about Ötzi the iceman. The website,
Live Science (30th May 2018) recently featured an article updating
readers on the iceman’s health based on recent analysis of Ötzi’s mummified
body.
Ötzi was murdered about 5,300 years ago high in the
Italian Alps. His mummified body was discovered by hikers in 1991 and he is now
housed at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. He was shot
with an arrow, struck on the head, and left to die near a mountain
pass high in the Alps.
Ötzi's health
Further analysis
of Ötzi’s body reveal that he didn’t ‘enjoy’ good health and had an unhealthy
diet. A full-body computed tomography (CT) scan showed that he had three
calcifications (hardened plaques) in his heart region, putting him at increased
risk for a heart attack. A modern heart doctor would have encouraged him to
stop eating fatty meat and to take medication to lower his blood pressure and
cholesterol.
He also had
calcifications around his carotid artery, which carries blood to the head and
neck, and in the arteries at the base of his skull, which carry blood to the
brain. These conditions increased the iceman’s risk of a stroke. In an earlier
study, researchers found that Ötzi's last meal included the fatty meat of a
wild goat, as well as wild deer and grains. Today, Ötzi may have undergone
surgery to help prevent a stroke including, perhaps, coronary bypass surgery,
to divert blood flow around the blocked artery.
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| Statue of Ötzi the iceman |
The iceman is
one of the most studied mummies in the world. Researchers know that he had bad
teeth and knees; lactose intolerance; a probable case of Lyme disease; stomach
bacteria that causes ulcers; and 61 tattoos inked on his body. The latest findings
suggest that if Ötzi hadn't been killed by a blow to the head and an arrow that
pierced his shoulder when he was about 46 years old, he might have suffered
health problems from these conditions later in life.
Genetic Factors
An earlier
study found that Ötzi had a genetic
predisposition for atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries from fatty
deposits. CT scans done at the time showed signs of disease in some of his
arteries. Ötzi wasn't overweight, didn't smoke tobacco, regularly exercised and
was unlikely to have had a high-fat diet. Researchers believe that genetic
factors, rather than his daily routine, may explain his health condition.
In the new
study, the researchers examined a newer CT scan of Ötzi that was done in 2013
using a larger CT scanner. This enabled them to image Ötzi's entire body,
including his abdomen and chest, allowing them to pinpoint the hardened plaques.
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| Timeline of Ötzi's last hours |
Ötzi wasn't far from home when he died.
Scientists concluded that he didn't live in the Alps as such but spent most of
his life in Isack Valley or the lower Puster Valley, in the northernmost part
of what is now Italy. He probably spent the last 10 years of his life in an
area south and west of his previous home, not far from where he died.
Conclusion
The iceman was murdered high up in the Italian
Alps some 5,300 years ago, making his death the oldest unsolved ‘cold case’
crime. Although Ötzi died in his mid-forties, he may not have lived to a ‘ripe
old age’. Genetic factors rather than lifestyle may have increased his risk of
a heart attack and stroke.
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