Jaunted

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The Iceman Cometh, Anniversary Edition

Fifteen years ago this week, two German tourists uncovered Ötzi the Iceman in the Austrian alps. That was over 5000 years after poor Ötzi hung up his boots, so he quickly came to fame as the world's oldest natural human mummy.

Of course, 15 years is just a drop in the ocean compared to how long his body's been hanging around on earth, but we want to look back and check how his 15 years of fame have been for this otherwise average kind of guy--5 foot 3 and in his mid 40s when he died. Scientific research over this period has been able to tell us his last two meals, the clothes he wore and the fact that he had 57 tattoos. And just this week, they worked out he died of an arrow wound to a vital artery, and probably died within minutes.

Poor guy. Just minutes to die, but thousands of years to hang around and have people prodding, poking and examining you. Keep an eye out on your alpine treks for any of his mates who could keep him company.

Related stories:
Iceman Died Quickly [ansa.it]