Scientists reveal Otzi the Iceman's last meal 5,300 years ago
- 6 years ago
BOLZANO, ITALY — Scientists have found out what an ancient iceman filled his belly with before he died.
Otzi the Iceman was a hunter who died in the Alps 5,300 years ago, and his mummified body was discovered near the Italy-Austria border in 1991, National Geographic reports.
Researchers were unable to locate the hunter's stomach until a CT scan revealed the misplaced organ tucked under a rib cage.
An analysis published in the journal Current Biology revealed that half the stomach contents consisted of the fat and meat of an alpine goat. They also found red deer meat, whole wheat seeds, and traces of toxic bracken fern.
The toxic fern may have been ingested accidentally, or possibly as medicine for whipworm parasites, which had previously found in his intestines, according to the Guardian.
All in all, Otzi's final meal seemed to be pretty well-balanced. Goat fat made sense given the harsh terrain, but as for the taste: it's apparently really horrible.
Otzi the Iceman was a hunter who died in the Alps 5,300 years ago, and his mummified body was discovered near the Italy-Austria border in 1991, National Geographic reports.
Researchers were unable to locate the hunter's stomach until a CT scan revealed the misplaced organ tucked under a rib cage.
An analysis published in the journal Current Biology revealed that half the stomach contents consisted of the fat and meat of an alpine goat. They also found red deer meat, whole wheat seeds, and traces of toxic bracken fern.
The toxic fern may have been ingested accidentally, or possibly as medicine for whipworm parasites, which had previously found in his intestines, according to the Guardian.
All in all, Otzi's final meal seemed to be pretty well-balanced. Goat fat made sense given the harsh terrain, but as for the taste: it's apparently really horrible.