Iceman Uncovered

 Author: Ma’Kayla Brown

On September 19, 1991, two German tourists by the names of Erika and Helmut Simon were hiking in the Otzal Alps and came across something very unusual. They found a frozen corpse sticking out of the snow. They believed that they had come across a hiker who had just recently passed and quickly alerted the proper authorities. The body was retrieved as well as the things that were found with it like tools and weapons such as stone arrowheads, knives, and a copper axe. Archeologists were brought in to look at the body and they dated the body to be at least 4,000 years old. They named the body Otzi because he was found in the Otzal Alps. Researchers began to try to find out the cause of death. When Otzi was first found, archeologists believed that Otzi was free of diseases but in 2007 researchers discovered that Otzi had been infested with whipworm and that he had suffered from arthritis. However, neither of those conditions contributed to his death.

Otzi the Iceman

They believed Otzi was about 5’2, weighed about 110 lbs, had died between 40-50 years old, and that he had lived through the copper age. Many theories of Otzi’s death floated around for some time, theories like Otzi had gotten caught in a horrible snowstorm and had frozen to death but a new discovery had come to light. Researchers had discovered that Otzi had a flint arrowhead lodged in his left shoulder and a deep cut was also found on his hand which is thought to be a defensive wound. With this evidence, scientists began to make sense of Otzi’s last days. Otzi had been shot by an arrow from behind and suffered extensive blood loss and died soon after. His body, clothes, and belongings were found undisturbed.

Otzi’s place of death with Albert Zink

A new study on the Iceman had begun. Scientists extracted DNA from Otzi’s pelvis and conducted an analysis of his genetic makeup. The analysis revealed that Otzi had dark skin, dark eyes, and was likely bald. Albert Zink, the head of the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research says, “It’s not surprising that Otzi was dark skinned.” He even adds that it’s believed that a lot of Europeans during that time likely had darker skin compared to present-day Europeans. A recent analysis of Otzi’s genome was done and they found that he has more than 92% Anatolian ancestry. This contradicted what was concluded in the original genome analysis. Researchers today still look for clues and evidence to continue to piece together Otzi’s life and his last days.

Works Cited:

Historic Mysteries. “Otzi the Iceman: 5000+ year old murder case.” YouTube, 9 Apr. 2022. https://youtu.be/mRa0Gi_mRjs?si=E5JOpY2ZLtr-L98y .YouTube. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.

Hunt, Katie. “Otzi the Iceman’s True Appearance Revealed by New DNA Analysis.” CNN. 21 Aug. 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/16/europe/otzi-the-iceman-physical-traits-scn. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.

National Geographic. “Onward A 5,300-Year-Old Mummy with Keys to the Future.” YouTube, 13 Nov. 2013. https://youtu.be/k5LtD4G8JD4?si=Tqas6-J4dBtK8C8A. Accessed 26 Oct. 2023.

Nothern Bushcraft. “Otzi the Iceman’s Clothes.” Pinterest, Northern Bushcraft — illvedere: Otzi the iceman’s clothes. (tumblr.com) Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Samadelli, Marco. “The Iceman is a 5,300-year-old mummy discovered in the Otzal Alps.” Pinterest, Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.(24) Pinterest.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Otzi.” Britannica. 20 Oct. 2023. Otzi | Discovery & Facts | Britannica. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023. Britannica. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.

Links for Further Research:

“Mysteries of Prehistoric Otzi the Iceman Mummy Are Finally Being Unraveled.” Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/mysteries-otzi-iceman-mummy-finally-being-revealed-1820235 This article written by Aristos Georgiou briefly goes over the history of Otzi the Iceman such as where he was found and how scientists believe he was killed. The article mainly speaks about the new discoveries made by scientists about Otzi like his genetic makeup, his genetic origins, etc.

“Testimony from the Iceman.” Smithsonian Magazine. Feb. 2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/testimony-from-the-iceman-75198998/. In this article the author, Bob Cullen, tells the story of his travels to northern Italy to meet with Dr. Eduard Egarter Vigl, the Iceman’s caretaker. Here he describes what he’s learned from the expert regarding Otzi.

“Otzi the Iceman and the Copper Age World.” Dan Davis History. 22 May. 2023.  https://letterboxd.com/film/otzi-the-iceman-and-the-copper-age-world/crew/This video has different chapters that talks about each aspect of Otzi’s history and the life he lived. It talks about different topics such as Otzi’s clothes, his gear, his health, tattoos that were found on him, etc.

The Count of Saint-Germain

 By D. Caughman 

There are many accounts of supernatural occurrences, people “find” bigfoot once every couple of years, and some think vampires walk the streets at nighttime. These accounts are usually fake; however, The Count of Saint-Germain was very real! He was born in 18th century Europe, into a royal family. Researchers are still learning about his life, as he was very mysterious.  

Near the end of his life, the Count revealed that he was the son of Prince Francis Rákóczy of Transylvania. (Pratt, 2012). This confirms his identity as royal, at the very least. Some said the Count was over 500 years old and could flawlessly practice the ways of Alchemy, turning ordinary metal into diamonds! Others claimed he was a charlatan and a conman. The Count of Saint-Germain was very well known by royals and commoners alike, having a reputation of being exceptionally generous and having a strong charm about him. A man who brought happiness to many, and yet we know so little of his life.

This is one of the only depictions of the Count that is known to be accurate

As he was a man with many identities, the Count also balanced many talents. One Horace Walpole, a Whig politician, recounted; “He sings, plays on the violin wonderfully, composes, is mad, and not very sensible. He is called an Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole; a somebody that married a great fortune in Mexico, and ran away with her jewels to Constantinople; a priest, a fiddler, a vast nobleman...” (Pratt, 2012).  

In 1745, the Count was visiting London when he was suddenly arrested under the accusation of being an enemy spy. He was in jail for less than a month and was released without charges. The Count then disappeared for about 12 years. He was never reported missing, however his story takes a hiatus at this point. His own statements indicate that he was probably developing various manufacturing techniques in Germany, mainly in the area of dyeing (Pratt, 2012). In 1755, he was involved with the sharing of information about a new French-made cleaning and deepening machine for waterways, estuaries, and ports.  

Saint-Germain returned to France in 1757, when the country was under political stress and was a very close friend to the King (King Louis XV). After most of the political discourse dissipated (approximately 1774) the Count’s life would stay interesting, he kept changing lives, making memories, and staying mysterious until his supposed death in 1784. Although an accurate death date was never recorded... 

Works Cited:

 Pratt, David. “The Count of Saint-Germain." http://davidpratt.info/st-germain1.htm, part 1 of 2, David Pratt, September 2012. Accessed 8 October 2021. David Pratt self publishes this website as a source of obscure knowledge. He has university level qualifications and writes detailed summaries on mostly unknown topics such as Theosophy. This article is about the life of the legendary Count of St. Germain. It contains details about his rumored immortality, his works in alchemy, his puzzling family, and much more. This article is an informational piece meant to educate readers on what information is available on The Count’s life. I chose this source because it had appealing information about my topic.

 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Comte de Saint-Germain". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Apr. 2015, https://www.britannica.com/biography/comte-de-Saint-Germain. Accessed 19 October 2021. Britannica is a Scottish encyclopedia that is over 250 years old. The encyclopedia’s content variety is vast, as any higher encyclopedias would be. This article pertains to the more logical side of The Count of St. Germain’s life. The source is an educational resource, it informs the reader about The Count. I chose this source because I trust the validity of Britannica’s information. The article is targeted towards a collegiate audience, potentially high school as well. The purpose of this source and my plan for using is to show a more realistic side of The Count of St. Germain’s life.



Links for further research:

https://www.liveabout.com/saint-germain-the-immortal-count-2594421

http://ichriss.ccarh.org/Germain.pdf

http://www.jstor.org/stable/739641