Secrets Behind Ötzi the Iceman's Murder Unlocked; Mummy's Copper Axe Came from Italy

Ötzi the iceman has fascinated the scientific community since its discovery in September 1991 and scientists intend to slowly uncover clues of who the mysterious glacier mummy was. Now, a new study has found out that the copper used to make Ötzi's axe blade did not come from the Alpine region, but is, in fact, from Central Italy.

Axe Linked to Central Italy

According to a study from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology via Science Daily, the copper axe's balde that was mined from Central Italy. Professor Gilberto Artioli from the University of Padua determined this by comparing the "fingerprint" of the ore or the proportion of the lead isotope with data from different mineral sites throughout Europe.

"No one was prepared for this finding. We will commission further analyses in order to double-check these first results," said Angelika Fleckinger, Director of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.

Flekinger further said that the discovery of the axe's origin will open a lot of questions about who Ötzi the iceman was, if he was, perhaps, a traveling trader and if people from the south went to the Alpine region for exchange of goods.

"What concerns us most these days is to know who the man from the ice was, what role he played in society and what happened to him in the last days of his life. Sophisticated procedures, now available to scientists, are continually supplying us with new evidence," Flekinger added.

Secrets Behind the Murder of Ötzi the Iceman

Ötzi was murdered as suggested by an arrowhead found in his left shoulder, but what caused the gruesome crime is still unclear. Using latest criminal investigation methods, Chief Inspector Alexander Horn of the Munich Criminal Investigation Department tried to uncover the circumstances during the time of Ötzi's murder.

Investigation showed that prior to his murder, Ötzi did not feel threatened due to his location, he could even be enjoying a hearty meal. Prior to his murder, he also incurred an injury on his right hand. The arrow shot that killed him could have been an act of treachery and was shot from a long distance.

Horn suggested that because a valuable item like a copper axe was left in the scene, Ötzi was not murdered due to theft but because of a personal conflict.