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Iceman: Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier
On a warm September day in 1991, two German hikers stumbled upon a frozen, intact body melting out of the remains of a glacier in the Tyrolean Alps. Over the next few days, as a parade of often irreverent visitors poked and prodded the mummy-like corpse, curious items began to emerge from the an ax with a metal blade, a longbow, finely stitched leather clothing, and--most astonishing of all--boots stuffed with grass. But only after the corpse was recovered and taken for an autopsy to the medical examiner in Innsbruck, Austria, did a vigilant archaeologist recognize that this was no ordinary dead body.
Iceman is the story of the international scientific investigation launched to study the world's oldest naturally preserved human corpse and the astounding cache of prehistoric personal effects found with it. The dramatic narrative takes us from the day of the Iceman's discovery through eight years of scientific investigation, political intrigue, bizarre theories, and ravenous media coverage.
The product of more than one hundred interviews with researchers in Austria, Italy, and Germany, Iceman follows scientists into labs and archaeologists into the field as they search for clues to the life and times of a man who lived before the advent of writing and cities. Who was he? Why were parts of his equipment damaged and unfinished? Where was he going? How did he die?
Iceman is not merely a compendium of data but the story of the forces that produced and shaped them. At times, debates over who owned the Iceman and what should be done with him overshadowed the research. Brenda Fowler chronicles the scientists' squabbles and ego trips and the unexpected twists in the research, including the claim that the Iceman was a fraud and the mystery of his missing penis. Along the way, the authority of science is powerfully questioned and then, largely, reaffirmed in a surprise ending that has already led to a reexamination of the Iceman's final hours and his five millennia in the ice.
Iceman is the story of the international scientific investigation launched to study the world's oldest naturally preserved human corpse and the astounding cache of prehistoric personal effects found with it. The dramatic narrative takes us from the day of the Iceman's discovery through eight years of scientific investigation, political intrigue, bizarre theories, and ravenous media coverage.
The product of more than one hundred interviews with researchers in Austria, Italy, and Germany, Iceman follows scientists into labs and archaeologists into the field as they search for clues to the life and times of a man who lived before the advent of writing and cities. Who was he? Why were parts of his equipment damaged and unfinished? Where was he going? How did he die?
Iceman is not merely a compendium of data but the story of the forces that produced and shaped them. At times, debates over who owned the Iceman and what should be done with him overshadowed the research. Brenda Fowler chronicles the scientists' squabbles and ego trips and the unexpected twists in the research, including the claim that the Iceman was a fraud and the mystery of his missing penis. Along the way, the authority of science is powerfully questioned and then, largely, reaffirmed in a surprise ending that has already led to a reexamination of the Iceman's final hours and his five millennia in the ice.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 16, 2018
An interesting book about one of the greatest discoveries of modern archeology on par with the tomb of King Tut. This book begins at the beginning with the discovery by two hikers of a 5,000-year-old mummy. This book details the decade of scientific investigation into the mummy and the major players involved in that process. On that level it works well but because the book was written in 2000 some of the facts can be disputed. Most of these involve the history of the Iceman - who he was, how he died, why he had the tools he had. That can't be helped without a major update but the book still works well both as a popular science book accessible to everyone but as a story of highly respected scientists not getting along. They have conflicting ideas that are never properly addressed or resolved by the project leaders. This book supports the old adage 'the smartest man in the room is the quietest.'
The writer unravels the mystery at a deliberate pace but she never misses a detail. All the players are given good airtime and the reasons for their actions are never in doubt. This book never left me questioning what was happening despite the complicated science involved or the heavy Germanic names. Even though I knew that some of the conclusions were wrong I still found myself respecting them because I knew the process behind them. I never found myself wanting to skip ahead.
As I said earlier this book could do with a major update. A lot has happened in the seventeen years since it was written but it was still an interesting read and there is much to learn from its' pages.
The writer unravels the mystery at a deliberate pace but she never misses a detail. All the players are given good airtime and the reasons for their actions are never in doubt. This book never left me questioning what was happening despite the complicated science involved or the heavy Germanic names. Even though I knew that some of the conclusions were wrong I still found myself respecting them because I knew the process behind them. I never found myself wanting to skip ahead.
As I said earlier this book could do with a major update. A lot has happened in the seventeen years since it was written but it was still an interesting read and there is much to learn from its' pages.
August 3, 2019
This book was recommended to me by Backroads , which is a very successful company providing active travel around the world and with whom I expect to soon visit the jagged peaks of the Otztal Alps. In 1991, hikers in the Otztal Alps happened upon a 5,300-year-old, stone age, man melting out of a glacier. This man lived more than 3,000 years before Christ or the genesis of the written word. The Iceman’s body was accompanied by many artifacts including a copper ax, flint knife, tattoos, leaves, charcoal, animal bones, fruit, leather shoes, fur, string, wood, a woven grass coat, bow, arrows, quiver, etc. Today the Iceman is at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, in Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol (known in Italy as Alto Adige) where I plan to spend two nights.
Persisting Humanness
This book reads like an enticing murder mystery as it progressively unveils the struggles of scientists to understand the clues to the Iceman’s existence and demise. These scientists are constantly beset by the shortcomings of their own humanness. By exposing the personality flaws of the scientists, this author shows us much more about the perplexing nature of the human condition than recovery of the Iceman ever could. The ability of researchers to organize and cooperate in the study of such an ancient find is constantly thwarted by the innate human characteristics for greed, fame and ego.
Just as human progress was no doubt restrained by infighting in the days of the Iceman, so it is today horribly restrained by these same emotions. One need only to examine the modern political landscape or current news to see this. Humans still fight among themselves, murder one another, envy the success of others, and fritter away the precious time of their lives in petty controversies. Evolution and endurance of the human species will necessitate that we somehow grow beyond these adverse characteristics. Mythology and religion have not succeeded in this regard and there awaits us some greater impetus: some event, catastrophe or new philosophy that will allow the common man to see how precarious, precious and vulnerable human civilization actually is. Until such an event or time arises, the human species reckons upon a precipice of disaster that could easily culminate with some yet unrecognized sentient life form excavating us, and puzzling over the greed with which we selfishly consumed the earths precious resources.
We share with the Iceman these bizarre quirks of humanness and the subtle theme emerging from this book is the nonsensical fact that we all take our vulnerability for granted. The scientists postulate various hypotheses attributing the demise of the Iceman to speculative confrontations among prehistoric humans, while simultaneously bickering among themselves over the Iceman’s body and sacrificing the greater good for selfish personal endeavors. Lawsuits abound over who actually owns the Iceman, even from the lay hikers that happened upon him!
Just as the Iceman obviously struggled against his contemporaries to possess food and artifacts, so struggle the scientists, media and public. The frustrating thing about the human condition is that we all do this, even while knowing that greater cooperation would accelerate the rise and stability of civilization. Amazingly, even after thousands of years, we persist in primitive, unreasonable thinking by acquiescing to pollution, war, over-population, nuclear proliferation and other dire circumstances that threaten life and civilization. Even though we can look deeply into space and ascertain no other planet anywhere that can host us, we nevertheless persist in unbridled consumption, like maggots accelerating the diminishment of a piece of deteriorating flesh upon which their survival depends or rats consuming one another.
Over thousands of years, the mountains and valleys of the Otztal Alps have been occupied, inhabited, trespassed on, fought over, and exploited by humankind. From the Celts to the Romans, and beyond that to the Germans, Austrians and Italians of the 20th century, the bickering has continued; and the bickering continued over the Iceman, even in the face of such an amazing discovery. The rapid rate in which the recovery of the Iceman succeeded in destroying something the earth had itself preserved for millennia is indicative of the daily destruction wrought upon this planet by the human race. Little different than bacteria, humans systematically consume, multiply uncontrollably, infect and destroy all parts of the planet, all the while seeking viciously to obtain access to another.
The study of history and archaeology, particularly the recovery of findings like the Iceman, let us see how truly minuscule is the time between us and primitive humans; and also, how truly fortunate we all are to possess awareness in this incomparably unique space-time that we call earth. The callousness by which we take this awareness for granted is exemplified over and over again in the carelessness in which the Iceman was recovered and the subsequent greed and envy that thwarted study of his remains. For example, not realizing the significance of the discovery, a small, pistol-like jackhammer was used to chisel Iceman from the frozen glacier and a few times the machine was driven into the corpse itself, sending shreds of dried flesh into the surrounding water. When the machine ran out of compressed air, the work was abandoned and the Iceman left further exposed to the elements for an inordinate amount of time. Amazingly the corpse was eventually hacked out of the ice with merely a pick and ski pole, during which time a layperson hiker actually broke the Iceman’s bow while trying to yank it out of the ice!
Human Artifacts
At the time the Iceman lived, Europe was dotted with small agricultural settlements with a few remnant bands of hunter-gatherer populations moving about its fringes. It was at this time that the cereal grasses were only beginning their domestication of humankind. The most impressive remnants of these people were huge, anthropomorphic figures sculpted out of stone slabs, referred to as statue-menhirs.
Examples of Menhir Statues on display at the Civic Archaeological Museum of Mehnir Statues in Sardinia.
The motivation of stone age peoples to construct and erect the menhir statues must have derived out of the same motivation that drove erection of the pyramids, or modern-day time capsules. Some of us humans invariably come to recognize the extreme briefness of life within the vastness of on-going time and, as a result, we endeavor to leave some semblance that we existed, possessed knowledge and gained awareness. Why else would we carve monuments, mummify our remains or even construct book reviews?
When there were no cities, no writing, no wheel, etc., primitive man still endeavored to inflict some semblance of their lives into the landscape. Like precursors of modern tomb stones, these menhir statues survive as monuments to the ephemeral nature of our existence. Certainly, the Iceman never knew that his body and artifacts would similarly persist like a preserved human menhir; or that modern humans would eventually encase him for observation within the frozen confines of a sterile museum freezer. One can’t help but wonder what the Iceman might have thought about it. Certainly, if the spirit of Iceman had loomed about the recovery of his body and the subsequent investigation of his remains it would likely have wailed aloud: “This is what we have become?”
Reading this book entices one to wonder about what personal artifacts they will eventually leave after their demise. Will it be a mess of unfinished business, a cluttered garage, a stash of unspent wealth, writings, photographs, paintings? Perhaps the most potent artifacts that we can leave are the perceptions and memories we leave alive in the hearts and minds of our acquaintances? Such memories persist like seeds, sprouting through time, within the subconsciousness of successive generations, something Carl Jung referred to as the “collective unconscious”. We must never forget that our time is fleeting and our actions are tremendously important to all those with whom we live and to all those who will come after us.
-End-
Persisting Humanness
This book reads like an enticing murder mystery as it progressively unveils the struggles of scientists to understand the clues to the Iceman’s existence and demise. These scientists are constantly beset by the shortcomings of their own humanness. By exposing the personality flaws of the scientists, this author shows us much more about the perplexing nature of the human condition than recovery of the Iceman ever could. The ability of researchers to organize and cooperate in the study of such an ancient find is constantly thwarted by the innate human characteristics for greed, fame and ego.
Just as human progress was no doubt restrained by infighting in the days of the Iceman, so it is today horribly restrained by these same emotions. One need only to examine the modern political landscape or current news to see this. Humans still fight among themselves, murder one another, envy the success of others, and fritter away the precious time of their lives in petty controversies. Evolution and endurance of the human species will necessitate that we somehow grow beyond these adverse characteristics. Mythology and religion have not succeeded in this regard and there awaits us some greater impetus: some event, catastrophe or new philosophy that will allow the common man to see how precarious, precious and vulnerable human civilization actually is. Until such an event or time arises, the human species reckons upon a precipice of disaster that could easily culminate with some yet unrecognized sentient life form excavating us, and puzzling over the greed with which we selfishly consumed the earths precious resources.
We share with the Iceman these bizarre quirks of humanness and the subtle theme emerging from this book is the nonsensical fact that we all take our vulnerability for granted. The scientists postulate various hypotheses attributing the demise of the Iceman to speculative confrontations among prehistoric humans, while simultaneously bickering among themselves over the Iceman’s body and sacrificing the greater good for selfish personal endeavors. Lawsuits abound over who actually owns the Iceman, even from the lay hikers that happened upon him!
Just as the Iceman obviously struggled against his contemporaries to possess food and artifacts, so struggle the scientists, media and public. The frustrating thing about the human condition is that we all do this, even while knowing that greater cooperation would accelerate the rise and stability of civilization. Amazingly, even after thousands of years, we persist in primitive, unreasonable thinking by acquiescing to pollution, war, over-population, nuclear proliferation and other dire circumstances that threaten life and civilization. Even though we can look deeply into space and ascertain no other planet anywhere that can host us, we nevertheless persist in unbridled consumption, like maggots accelerating the diminishment of a piece of deteriorating flesh upon which their survival depends or rats consuming one another.
Over thousands of years, the mountains and valleys of the Otztal Alps have been occupied, inhabited, trespassed on, fought over, and exploited by humankind. From the Celts to the Romans, and beyond that to the Germans, Austrians and Italians of the 20th century, the bickering has continued; and the bickering continued over the Iceman, even in the face of such an amazing discovery. The rapid rate in which the recovery of the Iceman succeeded in destroying something the earth had itself preserved for millennia is indicative of the daily destruction wrought upon this planet by the human race. Little different than bacteria, humans systematically consume, multiply uncontrollably, infect and destroy all parts of the planet, all the while seeking viciously to obtain access to another.
The study of history and archaeology, particularly the recovery of findings like the Iceman, let us see how truly minuscule is the time between us and primitive humans; and also, how truly fortunate we all are to possess awareness in this incomparably unique space-time that we call earth. The callousness by which we take this awareness for granted is exemplified over and over again in the carelessness in which the Iceman was recovered and the subsequent greed and envy that thwarted study of his remains. For example, not realizing the significance of the discovery, a small, pistol-like jackhammer was used to chisel Iceman from the frozen glacier and a few times the machine was driven into the corpse itself, sending shreds of dried flesh into the surrounding water. When the machine ran out of compressed air, the work was abandoned and the Iceman left further exposed to the elements for an inordinate amount of time. Amazingly the corpse was eventually hacked out of the ice with merely a pick and ski pole, during which time a layperson hiker actually broke the Iceman’s bow while trying to yank it out of the ice!
Human Artifacts
At the time the Iceman lived, Europe was dotted with small agricultural settlements with a few remnant bands of hunter-gatherer populations moving about its fringes. It was at this time that the cereal grasses were only beginning their domestication of humankind. The most impressive remnants of these people were huge, anthropomorphic figures sculpted out of stone slabs, referred to as statue-menhirs.
Examples of Menhir Statues on display at the Civic Archaeological Museum of Mehnir Statues in Sardinia.
The motivation of stone age peoples to construct and erect the menhir statues must have derived out of the same motivation that drove erection of the pyramids, or modern-day time capsules. Some of us humans invariably come to recognize the extreme briefness of life within the vastness of on-going time and, as a result, we endeavor to leave some semblance that we existed, possessed knowledge and gained awareness. Why else would we carve monuments, mummify our remains or even construct book reviews?
When there were no cities, no writing, no wheel, etc., primitive man still endeavored to inflict some semblance of their lives into the landscape. Like precursors of modern tomb stones, these menhir statues survive as monuments to the ephemeral nature of our existence. Certainly, the Iceman never knew that his body and artifacts would similarly persist like a preserved human menhir; or that modern humans would eventually encase him for observation within the frozen confines of a sterile museum freezer. One can’t help but wonder what the Iceman might have thought about it. Certainly, if the spirit of Iceman had loomed about the recovery of his body and the subsequent investigation of his remains it would likely have wailed aloud: “This is what we have become?”
Reading this book entices one to wonder about what personal artifacts they will eventually leave after their demise. Will it be a mess of unfinished business, a cluttered garage, a stash of unspent wealth, writings, photographs, paintings? Perhaps the most potent artifacts that we can leave are the perceptions and memories we leave alive in the hearts and minds of our acquaintances? Such memories persist like seeds, sprouting through time, within the subconsciousness of successive generations, something Carl Jung referred to as the “collective unconscious”. We must never forget that our time is fleeting and our actions are tremendously important to all those with whom we live and to all those who will come after us.
-End-
October 21, 2020
A five thousand year old corpse was found protruding from a glacier near the Alpine border of Austria and Italy. It was a breathtaking discovery. International scientists were united in their enthusiasm to extract knowledge from the ancient artifact. Anthropologists, botanists, local celebrities, and the news media all wanted a piece of the action. Both Italy and Austria claimed ownership of the bounty. Scientists sniped at each other over who should be privileged to study the iceman at close range. Eventually, wildly differing theories about the iceman's origin, diet, habitation, and circumstances of death were offered. (It seems to me that anthropology involves a lot of guesswork.) Considerable revenue was generated by an individual who quickly rushed a book into print. Squabbles among scientists consumed far too much of the energy on the page, crowding out more compelling theories of the iceman's journey.
January 3, 2011
An interesting book ostensibly about Ötzi the Iceman (Ötzi rhymes with 'tootsie', fact fans). While the book does faithfully report the state of knowledge on this five thousand year old frozen chap at the time it was written, the book is equally about the problems that arise when the media tries to get quick answers from a scientific process that can necessarily take years to complete, as well as the dangers when scientists start to care more about their status with the media and with their earnings than the science they should be doing. Overall it's very interesting, but the fact it was written within ten years of Ötzi's discovery back in 1991 means that there's absolutely no scientific consensus on anything about him present in the book, which means an unfortunate lack of closure when the book suddenly skids to a halt.
December 28, 2007
A rather simplistic account if the life of one of the worlds most famous characters. The author takes a narrative rather than an informative approach to the subject which provides an easy to follow introduction to the subject for those with no previous knowledge however it may prove to be too basic for those with a strong interest in archaeology in prehistory.
March 2, 2022
Worth reading for more than the science. What intrigued me was the background story of how scientific research proceeds, with all its false leads, errors, funding problems, ego struggles, national pride in this case, conflicts between disciplines, missteps with the media - and yet some careful and thorough analysis by scientists at their best. Fowler leads us through this as it develops. A fascinating human story.
September 9, 2009
This is a very interesting non-fiction book telling the story of the discovery of a 5,000 year old mummy in the alps and the measures taken to learn about him and preserve him. The science as they worked to unravel the mystery of his life and death was very interesting and very easy to follow. The power struggles and politics over his body were just as interesting. I didn't really expect this book to be nearly as fascinating as it was.
My only complaint about this book is that it ends years ago, and more has been discovered since. I hope the author will someday update it with a newer edition with more info on discoveries since the book ended.
My only complaint about this book is that it ends years ago, and more has been discovered since. I hope the author will someday update it with a newer edition with more info on discoveries since the book ended.
August 1, 2012
Good intro before my visit to see the actual frozen guy in Bolzano. The information could be updated, there's a lot of new research that has been done since this was published, although the story of the discovery and (somewhat botched) recovery was really good.
June 18, 2021
I found this book for sale at an old preloved book store years ago and never got the chance to read it! After coming near to the end of my anthropology degree I decided it was time to adjust my ever growing pile of books I had yet to read and settled on Iceman!!
I was surprised that I enjoyed the style of the writing so much, I feel like I was really engaged in the drama of the science world and those involved with Ötzi early after his discovery! I think I vastly underestimated the potential for drama within the science community but somehow following the discoveries made from the time of his discovery through to the early 2000s is amazing, the processes explored so in depth by the author, to the clash of theories! All of it was more than I had hoped for in this book.
Now it’s 2021, I’m quite inspired to check in on the modern research that’s happened since the publishing of this book!
I was surprised that I enjoyed the style of the writing so much, I feel like I was really engaged in the drama of the science world and those involved with Ötzi early after his discovery! I think I vastly underestimated the potential for drama within the science community but somehow following the discoveries made from the time of his discovery through to the early 2000s is amazing, the processes explored so in depth by the author, to the clash of theories! All of it was more than I had hoped for in this book.
Now it’s 2021, I’m quite inspired to check in on the modern research that’s happened since the publishing of this book!
February 28, 2024
I read this book as part of my preparation for a hiking trip to the Dolomites. It is the story of the discovery of a mummy-like corpse found in the Tyrolean Alps. The corpse was a 5,300 year old, stone age man. The analysis of the corpse and the artifacts associated with are extremely interesting. The down side is that this book was written in 2000. There has been quite a bit of research done after the publication of this volume.
There is also "too much" time devoted to the political infighting about what country should "claim" the iceman. I finished the book, but skimmed through some of the politics. There are likely some more current books that would be more beneficial to read.
There is also "too much" time devoted to the political infighting about what country should "claim" the iceman. I finished the book, but skimmed through some of the politics. There are likely some more current books that would be more beneficial to read.
April 27, 2018
A fascinating topic was somehow rendered into a very dry read about geographical and scientific politics and posturing. None of the people portrayed come out in a flattering light.
Very little time is spent on the possibilities and implications of the actual discoveries. It is much more about all of the people involved in the dispute about Italian and Swiss borders, and the subsequent academic posturing in order to secure prestige and funding for their institutions.
Very little time is spent on the possibilities and implications of the actual discoveries. It is much more about all of the people involved in the dispute about Italian and Swiss borders, and the subsequent academic posturing in order to secure prestige and funding for their institutions.
June 23, 2021
I can remember my Aunt Sue reading this book when it first came out back in 2000. I flipped through the pages and can recall seeing the pictures for the first time, I was instantly intrigued and knew I had to get my hands on this book. Now, 21 years later, I finally did! The story behind the once-in-a-lifetime discovery of the Ötzi Iceman is astonishing! The way his remains were handled extremely disturbing. A must-read for anyone with an affinity to archeology or history!
July 21, 2023
Although we now know a lot more (publication date is 2001) now about the Iceman, it is still a good read that seems well researched by an accomplished writer. It was a pleasure to read and rewards the reader with a strong background to further investigate what we have learned about the man and his times. But more importantly, the story confirms that science is strongly influenced by human weakness, and human strengths.
September 6, 2017
This discovery was very interesting to me for 2 reasons: love of archaeology and having visited the Tyrol region of Austria.
I was horrified to read how slapdash the recovery of the body was. The lack of proper documentation of the environs and the positioning of the body and items nearby are almost criminal to me. Not to mention the crappy quality of the pictures taken or at least as provided to the author for use. Then it was 1991.
The author did a great job following the science discovery as well as the economic and political considerations. It also outlined the way science is currently forced to beg for money.
I am certainly interested in learning more.
I was horrified to read how slapdash the recovery of the body was. The lack of proper documentation of the environs and the positioning of the body and items nearby are almost criminal to me. Not to mention the crappy quality of the pictures taken or at least as provided to the author for use. Then it was 1991.
The author did a great job following the science discovery as well as the economic and political considerations. It also outlined the way science is currently forced to beg for money.
I am certainly interested in learning more.
March 18, 2023
Ultimately, I picked up the wrong book. while I was hoping to find something about the life and times of a prehistoric man, I picked up and book on UNCOVERING the life and times of a prehistoric man. its well written and in a good narrative about how mountaineers, researchers and scientists learned more about Otzi.
November 27, 2017
Interesting. Not finished with the research. He did great job preserving the corpse and artifacts.
June 14, 2020
Read this story as a kid and loved it. The iceman and king tut are the two big reasons that I became infatuated with archaeology along with the lost city of Pompeii and the mystery behind Atlantis.
May 10, 2023
Was more about the politics of the find and not the find itself.
November 30, 2016
This book deals both with what the discovery of Otzi, the 5000 year old mummy found frozen in the Tyrolean Alps, what information we have gleaned about his life and times from his corpse, and the scientific squabbles that thus ensued. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about what few facts were unearthed from Otzi's corpse and found the details about his life and times endlessly fascinating. As for the latter, while it is important to see the process by which scientific discovery unfolds, I often found myself bored with the intricacies of the complex international dispute over which country Otzi belonged to and frustrated that egos were getting in the way of research, especially when some scientists decided to make profits by turning to the media at the expense of scientific integrity. While this is an important subject and, in all honesty, should be interesting in its own right, in this case things got so bogged down in the details that I found myself skimming over it. Further, some of the information just did not seem relevant to Otzi even if it was somehow related.
For instance, at some point one of the researcher's failures with getting access to a Peruvian mummy were discussed, which seemed so tangential to Otzi that I wondered why it was being included. There also just seemed like a lot of bickering between nations over Otzi that just got wearing to read about.Further, the one maps provided really did not help me understand the complexities of the border situation that made figuring out which country Otzi belonged to possible. There was also no drawing/picture of the scene where Otzi was found and where his stuff was discovered. Considering how important the location of Otzi's belongings are, especially given the level of detail the author went into, and considering how important the international conflicts were to this narrative, it was a glaring omission. Other maps that would have been helpful would have included maps of known Neolithic sites, trails, etc, based on Annaluisa Pedrotti's research.
I did like hearing about the research that Annaluisa Pedrotti and Klaus Oeggel (even if in the case of Oeggel there were a dew times I felt things got way too detailed) were conducting and intend to do a Google search to see what new nuggets of information they have gleamed as this was written in 2000 and is dated. On the whole this is a good introduction to Otzi, and if you have an interest in how science is conducted you will find this illuminating. But it does get bogged down in the details and not not provide the visual diagrams needed to help the reader process the information.
For instance, at some point one of the researcher's failures with getting access to a Peruvian mummy were discussed, which seemed so tangential to Otzi that I wondered why it was being included. There also just seemed like a lot of bickering between nations over Otzi that just got wearing to read about.Further, the one maps provided really did not help me understand the complexities of the border situation that made figuring out which country Otzi belonged to possible. There was also no drawing/picture of the scene where Otzi was found and where his stuff was discovered. Considering how important the location of Otzi's belongings are, especially given the level of detail the author went into, and considering how important the international conflicts were to this narrative, it was a glaring omission. Other maps that would have been helpful would have included maps of known Neolithic sites, trails, etc, based on Annaluisa Pedrotti's research.
I did like hearing about the research that Annaluisa Pedrotti and Klaus Oeggel (even if in the case of Oeggel there were a dew times I felt things got way too detailed) were conducting and intend to do a Google search to see what new nuggets of information they have gleamed as this was written in 2000 and is dated. On the whole this is a good introduction to Otzi, and if you have an interest in how science is conducted you will find this illuminating. But it does get bogged down in the details and not not provide the visual diagrams needed to help the reader process the information.
December 29, 2012
Although Ötzi the Iceman, the 5000 year old corpse of a Bronze age dweller in the Alpine mountains, was discovered in 1991 while I was in high school somehow I have no memory of this, even though I'm sure I would have found it as fascinating then as I find it now. I ran across a chance mention of him in another book and put this one on my list. It is well worth a read.
Ötzi was discovered by chance by a pair of hikers, his head and shoulders sticking out of a glacier, the rest of him firmly encased in ice. The couple presumed he was a fairly recently deceased hiker and quickly reported him to the nearest lodge. Nobody could recall any recent hiker disappearances without a body, but people have been disappearing in the Alps for millenia, apparently, and they thought he might be as old as 100 years.
Ötzi carried with him a remarkably rich set of tools, including a hasped ax--the first bronze age ax ever found with its wooden hande, two birch bark containers, an unfinished bow, a quiver of incomplete or broken arrows, a sewing needle, and some food, all apparently stored in a backpack-like contraption. Remnants of his clothes suggested he was clad in grass-stuffed boots, leather garter-leggings, a large leather and fur cloak, a grass cloak, and a remarkably well-preserved bearskin hat. The first third of the book or so is a nail-biting, heartbreaking account of the total destruction of the archaeological site and serious damage to the body itself as it was wrenched out of the glacier. Seriously, it's so upsetting that I had to put down the book a few times.
Once the archaeologists come into play it all becomes less nerve-wracking and Fowler chronicles their painstaking work that led to amazing discoveries, such as that he belonged to an agricultural people based on a few grains of einkorn, an ancient wheat, in his intestine(!!!).
Its weaknesses are that the book delves a little too deeply into the infighting among the scientists for my taste, and it was published in 2001 and presumably there have been more discoveries since then. But these are minor. The writing is really excellent: good, plain storytelling that draws you in completely. I read this over the course of just a few days because it was so interesting.
Ötzi was discovered by chance by a pair of hikers, his head and shoulders sticking out of a glacier, the rest of him firmly encased in ice. The couple presumed he was a fairly recently deceased hiker and quickly reported him to the nearest lodge. Nobody could recall any recent hiker disappearances without a body, but people have been disappearing in the Alps for millenia, apparently, and they thought he might be as old as 100 years.
Ötzi carried with him a remarkably rich set of tools, including a hasped ax--the first bronze age ax ever found with its wooden hande, two birch bark containers, an unfinished bow, a quiver of incomplete or broken arrows, a sewing needle, and some food, all apparently stored in a backpack-like contraption. Remnants of his clothes suggested he was clad in grass-stuffed boots, leather garter-leggings, a large leather and fur cloak, a grass cloak, and a remarkably well-preserved bearskin hat. The first third of the book or so is a nail-biting, heartbreaking account of the total destruction of the archaeological site and serious damage to the body itself as it was wrenched out of the glacier. Seriously, it's so upsetting that I had to put down the book a few times.
Once the archaeologists come into play it all becomes less nerve-wracking and Fowler chronicles their painstaking work that led to amazing discoveries, such as that he belonged to an agricultural people based on a few grains of einkorn, an ancient wheat, in his intestine(!!!).
Its weaknesses are that the book delves a little too deeply into the infighting among the scientists for my taste, and it was published in 2001 and presumably there have been more discoveries since then. But these are minor. The writing is really excellent: good, plain storytelling that draws you in completely. I read this over the course of just a few days because it was so interesting.
June 23, 2013
What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.
Length? – Several day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world 1990's primarily in Austria and Germany.
Written approximately? – 2000.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more. Have more scientific studies been completed?
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes, a updated section on the more recent results. A timeline withing the book would also be nice. I had great difficulty keeping all the "S" names straight, so a two or three sentence segment on each major scientist and location would be greatly helpful.
Short storyline: The history of the finding of the "Iceman" though the next eight years as scientists battle over the media, research opportunities, preservation techniques, and political issues.
Notes for the reader: A fascinating story! A unique look into the lives of how science can really look. Scientists agree and disagree, battle each other, and outsiders, just like any other profession.
Length? – Several day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world 1990's primarily in Austria and Germany.
Written approximately? – 2000.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more. Have more scientific studies been completed?
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes, a updated section on the more recent results. A timeline withing the book would also be nice. I had great difficulty keeping all the "S" names straight, so a two or three sentence segment on each major scientist and location would be greatly helpful.
Short storyline: The history of the finding of the "Iceman" though the next eight years as scientists battle over the media, research opportunities, preservation techniques, and political issues.
Notes for the reader: A fascinating story! A unique look into the lives of how science can really look. Scientists agree and disagree, battle each other, and outsiders, just like any other profession.
January 13, 2014
I can clearly recall the discovery of Ötzi the Iceman back in 1991 and how much of an overnight global sensation he became. Like so many others, I was instantly fascinated with this 5,000 year old frozen man, his possessions, and his mysterious back story. So I really looked forward to reading this, despite the fact that I was doing so 13 years after it was published.
Several other reviewers seemed to tire of the author's strictly narrative approach, but that's precisely what I enjoyed. Politics and science are a dangerous, messy mix, and Fowler does a superb job of demonstrating how money, prestige, professional pettiness, and national pride all play their part in warping scientific objectivity.
Several other reviewers seemed to tire of the author's strictly narrative approach, but that's precisely what I enjoyed. Politics and science are a dangerous, messy mix, and Fowler does a superb job of demonstrating how money, prestige, professional pettiness, and national pride all play their part in warping scientific objectivity.
September 22, 2013
An interesting, thorough, well-presented, but tragic story that shows science as the flawed human activity that it is, revealing science's profoundly traditional, irrational and destructive tendencies, in the very culture of the European aristocracy and bourgeoisie in which science itself originated and in which all its principles were laid down.
The tragedy is that the body was found, disturbed, and exploited. Of course audiences are going to be attracted to this kind of spectacle - the dominant culture has conditioned them to have a morbid curiosity and little respect for the past. Data accumulates; knowledge and wisdom decline.
The tragedy is that the body was found, disturbed, and exploited. Of course audiences are going to be attracted to this kind of spectacle - the dominant culture has conditioned them to have a morbid curiosity and little respect for the past. Data accumulates; knowledge and wisdom decline.
April 28, 2012
Too much narrative, not enough science. I REALLY wanted to finish this book--how could a book on Ötzi the Iceman not be fascinating? First part of the book was fine--people talking about his discovery, etc. However, in the second 1/4 of the book, things changed. It turned into a tangled mass of government officials & academics trying to lay claim to the poor old guy. I kept having to flip back pages to see who was who. Finally, I looked ahead and didn't see much of an end in sight, so I gave up on it. Too bad, could have been fascinating.
June 27, 2016
I enjoyed this broad survey of the discovery of the "Iceman" quite a bit. This is probably not the best work about the scientific findings, but it's a well-rounded story of the people who made those findings, and the social and political forces at work alongside.
Note of warning, though, not since The Grapes of Wrath have I read a book that simply stops—rather than ends—in such blunt fashion.
Note of warning, though, not since The Grapes of Wrath have I read a book that simply stops—rather than ends—in such blunt fashion.
January 6, 2022
A good overview of the Iceman project prior to the museum in Bolzano being opened. The read, for me, was difficult that it didn't truly draw me in and make me want to find out what happens next. It was told more as a story than a presentation of scientific facts, but I found it difficult to sort out and remember from passage to passage which scientists and other people involved where which. It took me a long time to get through this book as I read it alongside a few others (as I do lately.)
January 31, 2013
Fascinating story of the scientific attempts to explain the life and death of a man who was preserved for a LONG time in ice. Since the publication of this book, it's been fun to read about new discoveries. Great story. Piques your imagination. It was a birthday gift from my daughter some years ago. Thanks, TP.
January 9, 2008
Ever since I was a child I wanted to be an archaeologist.
Of course, my mom supported me in this.
She started buying me things on ancient artifacts, dinosaurs, and Otzi*, the ice man.
I was incredibly intrigued.
I know a lot about him.
(*wish I had an umlaut key)
Of course, my mom supported me in this.
She started buying me things on ancient artifacts, dinosaurs, and Otzi*, the ice man.
I was incredibly intrigued.
I know a lot about him.
(*wish I had an umlaut key)
April 18, 2014
An interesting book on several levels - the actual discovery of the 3000 to 5000 year old man, the personalities involved in the recovery and examination, the rivalry of the researchers and the different interpretations.
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August 30, 2009Not only the story of a mummy, but also of the scientists, politicians, and curators who would decide his fate.
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