Tirol anatomist guarded Ötzi for seven years

Tirol anatomist Karl-Heinz Künzel spent seven years examining, preserving and guarding Ötzi, the Iceman, before the glacier mummy was transferred intact to a museum in Bolzano, ORF reports.

Thirty-five years ago, on 19 September 1991, the Simon couple discovered Ötzi at the Tisenjoch discovery site. The find brought Innsbruck’s Institute of Anatomy into the spotlight, although only after five days, when the mummy could finally be recovered.

The mummy ended up in Innsbruck because Italian authorities initially showed little interest in recovering it and left the task to their Austrian counterparts, Künzel recalled. It was also initially unclear which country the discovery site was in. The mummy and several associated objects were therefore taken to forensic medicine in Innsbruck.

Archaeologist Konrad Spindler was called in to examine the objects. He identified an arrow as dating unequivocally to the Early Bronze Age. The discovery only became a sensation at that point, bringing the preservation expertise of Innsbruck’s anatomy institute into play.

Developing a special storage system

Othmar Gaber and Künzel, consulting other scientists, developed a cooling system designed to resemble the conditions inside glacial ice. Ötzi and the cooling chamber were fitted with sensors that triggered an immediate alarm if various parameters changed.

For seven years, Künzel, Gaber and institute director Werner Platzer remained connected to Ötzi day and night through a pager, Künzel said. Preserving the mummy required several layers of sterile cloth, crushed ice and ordinary household ice packs. Obtaining clean crushed ice was difficult at the time.

Italy’s interest in the mummy rose sharply after its remarkable age was first reported in the media. However, forensic doctor Rainer Henn refused to release the body, Künzel recalled. Innsbruck argued that the mummy’s identity had not yet been established beyond doubt and even told Italy that it could have belonged to a deceased archaeologist.

While Ötzi remained in Innsbruck, Tyrol and South Tyrol used the opportunity to reach an agreement. At a meeting in the anatomy institute, the two regional governors, Alois Partl and Luis Durnwalder, decided that a museum for Ötzi would be built in Bolzano and that the mummy would be preserved and studied in Innsbruck until it was completed. Künzel attended the meeting.

Research on the glacier mummy

In the following years, scientists from Austria and abroad carried out numerous examinations, each requiring approval from a specially established commission. Künzel kept detailed records of every intervention involving Ötzi.

Computed tomography scans and X-rays provided initial insights into the mummy’s condition. The imaging made it possible to examine details of Ötzi’s health without invasive procedures. Findings involving his teeth and the absence of wisdom teeth were of particular evolutionary interest. Reproducing Ötzi’s skull using 3D printing was also a scientific first.

An arrowhead in the mummy’s shoulder was discovered only later in Bolzano, which Künzel regrets. He would have liked to investigate the exact cause of death, saying the arrowhead did not necessarily have to have been fatal.

Ötzi was transferred to Bolzano in January 1998 in a major police operation. Künzel said he was grateful for the dignified presentation of the mummy in the museum there.

He hopes the glacier mummy will continue to be well preserved so that future research remains possible. New preservation methods could help minimise the risk of changes caused by microorganisms. Ötzi remains a valuable research object that can continue to provide answers about the past and modern science, Künzel said.