Iceman 'probably killed by own people'

Oetzi the iceman was found after 5,000 years

The mystery surrounding the death of a prehistoric man frozen in an Alpine glacier for more than 5,000 years should become a little clearer on Thursday.

Scientists have spent a decade investigating the remains of Oetzi the Iceman - and they will use a conference in Bristol to reveal their latest findings on how he was killed.

Oetzi's body was discovered by hikers in the Schnalstal glacier high in the Italian Alps in 1991.

He was initially thought to be a modern climber - until an axe and a quiver of arrows were found nearby.

Perfectly preserved

After more than 10 years studying the perfectly preserved body, scientists now think he was shot with an arrow which came from the same area as Oetzi himself.

They believe Oetzi came from the southern Alps because of the artefacts and clothing found with his body.

Scientists have spent years trying to find out how Oetzi died

Last year, examinations revealed an arrowhead embedded inside the mummified corpse.

Did Oetzi die in hand-to-hand combat?

See the arrowhead that may have killed Oetzi

Now further research has helped to narrow the search for the iceman's attacker.

Professor Annaluisa Pedrotti, from Trento University in Italy, was called in to examine the arrowhead.

She said: "The type of arrowhead found in Otzi's body has a very specific 'tanged' shape.

"It occurs only in the southern Alps and in northern Italy, not in the northern Alps where the arrowheads tend to have a flat base.

"That means that the guilty party lived south of the Alps and was probably one of Oetzi's own people."

Questions remain

Professor Pedrotti is to discuss her findings at a special event at Bristol University on Thursday.

But she said many questions about the iceman's death remained unanswered.

"Was the wound caused by the arrow fatal? What injuries did it cause? Did it cut through an artery or a vein or did it simply lodge itself in a muscle?

"Was he able to remove the shaft of the arrow by himself? Is it possible that a part of it still remains in the body?

"To answer these questions we must await the results of the operation to remove the arrow that will be carried out during the summer."

Click here for background on Oetzi from BBC Horizon.