Product Description

The amazing story of the discovery of a 5000-year-old body found perfectly preserved in the Alps - written by the leader of the investigation

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #346167 in Books
• Published on: 2001-12-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Synopsis
In 1991 the world was electrified by a chance discovery of a perfectly preserved corpse trapped in an Alpine glacier. Preliminary tests showed that this was the body of a Neolithic hunter who died some 5300 years ago. Now Dr Konrad Spindler, the leader of an international team of scientists examining the body, makes the results of his investigations public for the first time and answers a series of fascinating questions about the Ice Man' and the clues he can give us to the nature of daily life in the late Stone Age. The result is a riveting scientific detective story, giving us the fullest picture yet of Neolithic Man - our ancestor.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating insight into Stone Age culture and archaeological method
In 1991, a body was discovered partially hidden in meltwater from an Austrian glacier. Initially thought to be a recent murder or accident victim, Konrad Spindler had the entirely enviable task of explaining to waiting journalists that this was in fact the remains of a 5000 year old man. It's his tendency to entirely justifiable theatrics that make his archaeology such fun to read.

Almost as interesting as the archaeology is the preliminary tale of the politics of possession. For those of us who've made our escape from academe and might regret it, it's always instructive to be reminded that scholars get so little cash or kudos that when an opportunity like this one comes along, it's not to be missed. Hence the ongoing battle for Ötzi the ice man between the Austrians and the Italians on the other side of the valley.

The middle third of the book provides an exhaustive catalogue and commentary on the items found in the vicinity of the body. Many of these are the sole relics of their type ever found; certainly as a group they are totally unique. The clothing in particular is fascinating; personally I think if I were wearing straw-stuffed boots and a grass cloak, up a mountain would not be my first choice of place to be.

So often we think of the Stone Age in such dead terms: cave pictures, a few crude tools, the remains of a rubbish dump. This is a chance (perhaps the only chance) to see these people in terms of humanity, in a living, breathing, functioning scenario. The final section of the book attempts to place the entire find into context, of what is known already of the Iceman's society, and of the more general conclusions which might be drawn from his evidence. Spindler is quick to point out that much of this is speculative, and subject to change: this is fortunate as subsequent reseach has shown that a piece of evidence for the cause of death from the body itself was overlooked for ten years.

This is a fascinating book, as much for its insights into archaeological methodology as Stone Age culture itself. Recommended.