Ötzi
the Ice Man's home at the South
Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
in Bolzano, Italy is
not-to-be-missed. A former bank , the building was remodeled to display (as well as preserve and allow
the scientific study of) Ötzi
and his belongings that were found along with him on September 19, 1991 in
the nearby Ötzal Alps. As a result, the museum is full of fascinating exhibits.
Visitors
begin on the entrance floor, working their way up through the
archaeological ages to the fourth floor (which contains artifacts from the
Roman times and early Middle Ages). Here are the highlights:
The
entrance level provides a series of exhibits that set the stage for Ötzi:
the late Paleolithic and Mesolithic Ages are covered.
The
first floor is the home of Ötzi,
though you may have a hard time locating him. The displays on this floor
are excellent: well-designed and technologically-advanced. The Ice Man's
clothing is displayed in a series of cases (complete with drawings) that
show how each garment was worn. Dominating the scene is a life-size
replica of Ötzi (see the top postcard above for a peek of his face); he
was fairly short and not in good condition, despite what early reports
(and most Ötzi books suggest). As for Ötzi himself, he is displayed off
to the side in a separate area and is visible only through a small
stainless steel window;
he looks smaller than you might expect and very
fragile. You climb a step or two to get a glimpse: Ötzi in a deep freeze.
This display is so discreet that some people might easily miss it. As
of December 2000, he looks a little more frayed--his left thigh in particular has
been used for some sampling it appears. He may have lasted 5,000 years in
the glacier, but it is doubtful that he will last another 5,000 in our
modern deep freeze. Of course, the important thing is not that his body
lasts to amaze museum-goers, but that scientists learn as much as they can
of his life and times so that all of us can be better informed about the
history of the world.
The
third floor covers the Bronze Age with a diorama of the copper smelting
furnaces of Favogna and artifacts (such as a handled goblet from the
Laugen culture). But I was more impressed by the discoveries of the Iron
Age (also displayed on this floor): about the same time that Ötzi
was found, a pair of "socks" (for lack of a better word) and two
pairs of leggings were found, according to the museum, in the Reisenferner
group in the Val Pusteria. Woven partially from fine wool, the leggings
are the best textiles that survive from this period.
The
fourth floor displays primarily ceramic and jewelry finds from the Roman
times and the Middle Ages. One interesting fact I learned was that some
people during this time were buried in hollowed-out tree trunks.
And in a
rare case (shown in a diorama) a Roman nobleman was buried in a grave
covered in what looks like roof tiles.
Besides the museum, the museum
also contains a good shop. A
great deal of merchandise is for sale, including many books (mostly in
German or Italian, though there are two guidebooks in English), postcards
(shown on the right), key chains, notepads, and
even a
backpack for a little Ötzi-phile.
My only complaint: the display
cards that explain each exhibit are written in Italian and German only.
For a museum that will have world appeal, this is a significant oversight.
The museum does offer excellent handheld computerized listening devices (the kind
used in many art museums around the world), and these explain many
displays in a variety of languages. However, the audio guide does not
cover all of the exhibits, just certain key displays. So a visitor
who does not read German or Italian may not comprehend some of the
displays.
If you wish to visit Bolzano,
you can fly to either Munich, Germany, or Milan, Italy, from the U.S. You
can check air fares and hotels at Travelocity.com:
Iceman:
Uncovering
the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier
by Brenda
Fowler is
the most recent book about
Ötzi, and what a book it is. It
includes an up-to-date look at the Iceman (how
he was found, who he was, what might have happened--and all of the
intrigue behind-the-scenes).
Human
Mummies: A Global Survey of their Status and the Techniques of
Conservation by
Konrad Spindler, et
al (eds.) is
intended for the serious student of mummies. A good portion of the book is
devoted to the Iceman.
Ice
Mummy by
Cathy
Dubowski. Illustrated
with both photos and drawings, it makes a great introduction to nonfiction
with its fascinating true story.
Secrets
of the Ice
Man by Dorothy
Patent. This
book is the most up-to-date book on the subject and was written just
before Ötzi was moved to the Bolzano museum which makes it a particularly
valuable resource for students.
