Iceman’s Anniversary
On September 19, 1991, two hikers were making their way through the Austrian-Italian Alps. On their journey, they discovered a 5,300 year old frozen mummy from late Neolithic times. The man carried rough bow and arrows as well as a copper axe, and wore a grass cloak for warmth. His shoes were made from bearskin, deer hide and tree bark.
In September of 2000, the “Iceman” as he has come to be known, was gently thawed. Scientists used this opportunity to extract DNA and to determine his last meal!
Unlike the infamous “last meal” choices of those condemned to death row, the Iceman’s final edibles were anything but extravagant. His meal was a simple one, consisting of some unleavened bread made of einkorn wheat (one of the few domesticated grains used in his part of the world at this time), some sort of plant or herb and some kind of meat. It’s estimated that the meal was consumed approximately 8 hours before death.
While testing the food matter found in the Iceman’s colon, they also stumbled upon a bit of pollen, which allowed them to pinpoint the location at which he ate his last meal. The majority of the pollen came from the hop hornbeam tree, which grows in a warm environment. Once the scientist recognized the pollen, he not only knew which side of the mountain the Iceman had been on but also the season in which he died. The hop hornbeam tree blooms between March and June.
The Iceman is now on frozen display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology at Bolzano, Italy.
This is another profound example of the progress forensic science has made in the past two decades. Take a minute to think about what else forensics can do!
credits: wikipedia.org/pbs.org
