18 MAY/JUNE 2019
does not take them, not even a valuable copper
ax. The body will stay undisturbed on this glacier
for thousands of years, keeping the secrets of his
life and death silent in the snow.A Murder Inquiry
The bearded man rocketed to internation-
al fame after his body was discovered by two
mountaineers on an Italian glacier in September- Nicknamed Ötzi—for the region of the
Alps where he died— scholars have been piec-
ing together his story for al-
most three decades, looking
for clues about not only his
death but also his life.
Ötzi lived during the
Chalcolithic, or Copper
Age, some 5,300 years ago,
a time that just precedes the
building of the oldest part
of Stonehenge in England.
Since his discovery, Ötzi
has become one of the most
icture the scene: It’s early summer
in the Alps. A bearded, middle-aged
man hikes up a glacier, some 10,500
feet above sea level, close to the
modern border between Austria and
Italy. He is dressed practically to protect him
from the cold and wet conditions in the moun-
tains: warm trousers and a long cape, snow-
shoes, and a furry cap. The man’s right hand
has a deep cut from a recent skirmish that is just
beginning to heal. He stops to rest and eat. He
thinks he’s found safety here,
but he’s wrong.
The bearded man is unaware
he is being followed. An enemy
stands undetected a few feet
away. Target in sight, he nocks
an arrow, carefully aims, and
fires. It is an excellent shot,
piercing him in the back. The
man falls to the ground and
dies. His possessions lie scat-
LEON WERDINGER/ALAMY/ACI tered around him; his attacker NG MAPS
RESTING PLACE
The spot in Italy
where Ötzi’s body
emerged from the
ice is a stone’s throw
from the border with
Austria. A stone
monument (below)
marks the spot
where he was found.
P
SWITZERLAND AUSTRIAITALYGERMANYA LP SMilanBolzano
EEEInnsbruck0 75 mi
0 75 kmSPOT WHERE ÖTZIWAS DISCOVERED
IN 1991