Origin and Migration of the Alpine Iceman

Wolfgang MÜLLER, Henry FRICKE et al.

inScience 302, p.862, 2003

presented by Ingmar Unkel

IUP-Literaturseminar SS 2004

Content

The local geological environment

The examined material

Stable isotopesO, C)

Radiogenic isotopes (Sr, Pb)

Conclusions

The local geological environment

Objective

Determination of Oetzi‘s

• birthplace

• habitat

• range of activity

Isotopic tracing based on the transfer of the isotopic signature of soils and waters into biominerals (via nutrition)

The examined material

teeth (3x enamel, 1x dentine)

bone (femur – cortical and trabecular)

intestinal content

clothing and equipment (goat fur, lime bast, larch wood)

The examined material

teeth

• canine, first and second premolar

• enamel, dentine

• age 3 to 5 years

The examined material

bone

• femur

• cortical, age 20 to 30 years

• trabecular, age 32 to 40 years

The examined material

intestine content

• last meal shortly before assassination

stable isotopes

Provide information about

altitude, latitude or position relative to a watershed (O) or paleodiet (C)

cool Atlantic influence, long transport

18O ~ -14-16‰

warm Mediterranean influence, short transport

18O ~ -11-13‰

lowering of 18O to the west

18 O – stable isotopes

18 O – stable isotopes

radiogenic isotopes

Refining how far south Oetzi lived, based on comparison to soil leachates of the 4 main lithologies

using: 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb

radiogenic isotopes

radiogenic isotopes

discussion

18 O -10,6 ‰ first premolar

-11,0 ‰ canine

-11,7 to -11,4 ‰ bone

-11 to -13 ‰ southern waters

87Sr/86Sr 0,7203 to 0,7215

high ratios for enamel

0,7175 to 0,7184 bone

Sr-Pb isotopic composition is consistent with compositions of gneisses and phyllites

206Pb/204Pb 18,6 to 18,3 bone

discussion

discussion

postmortem alteration by meltwater• not observed in 18 O

• incipient in 87Sr/86Sr

12 white micas out of intestinal content• 40Ar/39Ar age distribution points at gneiss

lithology as living area

Most probable place of living during adulthood:

NW-SW of Merano

Thank you !