When German hikers Erika and Helmut Simon stumbled upon a dead body in the Oertzel Alps on 19th September, 1991, they believed it to be a recently fallen mountaineer, whose cadaver had been preserved in the ice. In fact, the specimen turned out to be 5,300 years old - older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.\nThe man, nicknamed \u2018\xd6tzi\u2019 by the press, had been struck down in mid-stride, and was discovered surrounded by his possessions, which included a copper axe. His remains are now on permanent display in Italy.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly probe into the various theories about how \u2018the Iceman\u2019 died; reveal what the post-mortem told us were the contents of his last meal; and consider the \u2018Curse of the Frozen Mummy\u2019...\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022\xa0\u2019The Discovery of Otzi the Iceman and Its Significance\u2019 (ThoughtCo, 2020): https://www.thoughtco.com/otzi-the-iceman-1779439\n\u2022 \u2018Who killed Oetzi the Iceman? Italy reopens coldest of cases\u2019 (BBC News, 2017): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40104139\n\u2022 \u2018Was Otzi the Iceman a Victim of Human Sacrifice?\u2019 (Smithsonian Channel, 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUVtJ8oqRWA\n#Discoveries #Italy #Switzerland #BC\nLove the show? Join\xa0\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\xa0\U0001f334 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!\nPlus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.\nJoin now via\xa0Apple Podcasts\xa0or\xa0Patreon.\xa0Thanks!\n\xa0\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\n\xa0\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices