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The Iceman's last days – the testimony of Ostrya carpinifolia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

W. Groenman-van Waateringe
W. Groenman-van Waateringe*
Affiliation:
Wachterhof 3, 1504 CP Zaandam, The Netherlands (Email: [email protected])
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Extract

The demise of the Iceman is archaeology's current long-running detective story, in which the time and mode of death have yet to be agreed. Recent discussion in these pages favoured a ceremonial burial on the mountain, following his death and the conservation of the corpse in the home village. In a new forensic contribution, the author shows that, in addition to his other woes, the Iceman might have been taking medicine in the form of bark. This in turn implies that his final adventure might have taken place at anytime between spring and autumn, leaving the burial hypothesis without constraint.

Keywords

Tyrolean IcemanOstrya carpinifolia pollenbarkmedicine
Type
Debate
Information
Antiquity , Volume 85 , Issue 328 , June 2011 , pp. 434 - 440
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2011

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