Two passing climbers view the partially exposed remains of a 5300 year old mummy.
In September 1991, two German hikers found a dead body while walking through Europe’s Ötzal Alps. It was so well preserved in the glacier, they initially thought they’d found a missing person.
However, the true significance of the find was only realised when the archaeologist Konrad Spindler inspected the body along with the assemblage of items recovered from the gravesite. It quickly dawned on Konrad he was examining a marvel from the prehistoric age; it was a perfectly preserved mummy who had lived over 5000 years ago.
Never before had a person of this age been found in such exceptional condition. They’d lived during the transition between the stone and copper ages, and provided a snapshot into early human culture, medicine and genetics.
However, the true significance of the find was only realised when the archaeologist Konrad Spindler inspected the body along with the assemblage of items recovered from the gravesite. It quickly dawned on Konrad he was examining a marvel from the prehistoric age; it was a perfectly preserved mummy who had lived over 5000 years ago.
Never before had a person of this age been found in such exceptional condition. They’d lived during the transition between the stone and copper ages, and provided a snapshot into early human culture, medicine and genetics.