Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Maple Leaf Wow

Photo by Robert Clark
Among the remarkable artifacts found with the “Iceman” in northern Italy in 1991 was this maple leaf. It is 5,300 years old. The man used it to wrap and preserve the embers of his fires. Like the rest of his gear, and himself, it was freeze-dried on the mountain where he was murdered (ah, humanity!). More pictures by Robert Clark of the “Iceman” and his stuff are found in this month’s National Geographic. (They’ve given him a name, but I think that’s awfully presumptuous, on par with Mormons hijacking your ancestors for their church.) A recent episode of Nova got all Chalcolithic-CSI on the circumstances of his death.

mthew

2 responses to “Maple Leaf Wow”

  1. Mark Wilkinson

    On a summer trip to the Dolomites of Northern Italy a few years ago we visited ‘Otzi’ at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, a trip definitely worth making if you are ever in that part of the world. I understand your reticence to use the adopted name – it is a bit naff but originates from the Otz Valley he was discovered in, right on the Austrian/Italian border. Haven’t seen National Geographic yet, but I assume the story of the discovery by the famous and possibly greatest mountaineer Reinhold Messner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhold_Messner – first solo ascent of Everest without oxygen amongst other incredible feats) is told. The back story to the discovery, including the political fighting over ownership afterwards is almost as fascinating as the information scientists have discovered about the Chalcolithic (Copper) Age from the mummy and his remains.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      NG and TV version are all about the autopsy; modern day politics of fight for the rights, as it were, to the corpse, not covered at all.

      Reply

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