Archaeologists think they have solved the longstanding mystery of how Otzi, the world's most famous iceman, met his end: an arrow wound to his shoulder caused him to bleed to death.
Otzi, a 5,000-year-old mummy, was found by German hikers on a glacier in the Italian alps close to the border with Austria in 1991. The body, preserved by ice, was carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows and a copper axe. Despite several scientific tests since he was found, archaeologists have been unable to agree whether he died from an arrow wound, a sudden fall or freezing while climbing the high mountains.
Frank Ruehli, of the University of Zurich, worked with scientists from Bolzano, Italy, where the iceman's body is preserved, to construct a three-dimensional image of Otzi using high-resolution computer tomography - a diagnostic technique normally used in hospitals to avoid potentially damaging invasive procedures. "Five years ago this would definitely have been more difficult," he told Associated Press.
Dr Ruehli found that an arrow had torn a hole in an artery beneath Otzi's left collarbone, leading to massive loss of blood and shock and causing him to suffer a heart attack. His analysis is published online in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
According to the analysis, the chances of surviving such an attack even today would be around 40%. Dr Ruehli said the arrow being pulled out before death might have contributed to the injury. A large haematoma, a collection of blood due to internal bleeding, could also be seen in the surrounding tissue, and the iceman probably died shortly after the lesion was caused, researchers concluded.
Archaeologists believe Otzi may have been a hunter or warrior killed in a skirmish with a rival tribe. Previous research showed he had killed at least four other people in his final battle. An analysis of traces of blood found on his clothes and weapons, carried out by Australian biologists, revealed four different types of DNA, none of them Otzi's.