The ice mummy (Ötzi) discovered in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps on the edge of melting ice at 3210 meters above sea level is 5300 years old. Hitherto, the unusual position of the left arm and shoulder (Figure a) could not be conclusively explained, given the prone position in which the mummy was found. No burial took place, nor can taphonomic changes (postmortem movements within the ice) explain the arm position. Ötzi very likely survived for several hours after sustaining an arrow wound to the region of the left shoulder, with the flint arrowhead remaining in situ (Figure a and b). This is based on the assumption that acute hemorrhagic shock caused by bleeding into the non-preformed body cavity is unlikely with this mechanism of trauma. It is possible that Ötzi died after considerable physical exertion. Compressing a wound can significantly reduce blood loss—Ötzi potentially knew this. The unusual arm position ensured maximum compression of the wound in the region of the sharp-edged arrowhead (Figure b).
Figure.
a) The CT 3D reconstruction shows the abnormal position of the left arm and shoulder. An arrowhead can be seen below the left coracoid process.
b) CT section at the level of the arrowhead. The compressive forces to the wound (red arrows) are magnified by the osseous structures (blue arrows) and prone position. Death occurred in this position.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments: We would like to thank P. Pernter (Radiodiagnostik, Zentralkrankenhaus Bozen, Italy) for the CT dataset. The images were processed using RadiAnt DICOM Viewer (JWe).
Translated from the original German by Christine Rye.
Footnotes
Conflict of interest statement: The authors state that no conflict of interest exists.