Origin and Migration of the Alpine Iceman Wolfgang M ÜLLER, Henry F RICKE et al. in Science 302, p.862, 2003 presented by Ingmar Unkel IUP-Literaturseminar SS 2004

Content The local geological environment The examined material Stable isotopes  O, 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  18 O ~ ‰ warm Mediterranean influence, short transport  18 O ~ ‰ lowering of  18 O to the west  18 O – stable isotopes

radiogenic isotopes Refining how far south Oetzi lived, based on comparison to soil leachates of the 4 main lithologies using: 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 206 Pb/ 204 Pb

radiogenic isotopes

discussion  18 O -10,6 ‰ first premolar -11,0 ‰ canine -11,7 to -11,4 ‰ bone -11 to -13 ‰ southern waters 87 Sr/ 86 Sr0,7203 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 206 Pb/ 204 Pb18,6 to 18,3 bone

discussion

postmortem alteration by meltwater not observed in  18 O incipient in 87 Sr/ 86 Sr 12 white micas out of intestinal content 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age distribution points at gneiss lithology as living area Most probable place of living during adulthood: NW-SW of Merano

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