Ötzi receives visitors at his
special icy chamber in the South Tyrol Museum
of Archaeology (or Museo
Archeologico dell'Alto Adige) in Bolzano,
Italy.
After many years of study at the University of Innsbruck in
Austria, Ötzi was moved to a specially-built state-of-the-art exhibit in
Bolzano where his body was placed
in a special chamber, which can be viewed through a small porthole.
His first chamber was kept a constant
21.2°F. His body was placed on top of an
electronic scale that measured his weight (any change in weight would tell scientists
that something was wrong--they wanted to make sure that the body will not decay and
that it would not be invaded by molds or other organisms).
Scientists were so
concerned about preserving his body that two other identical chambers were built in case the first
failed.
In December 2003,
the Iceman was moved to a new chamber: an ice-tiled
igloo guaranteed to keep him colder and more humidified. [NOTE: When I had visited the museum in
December 2002, Ötzi's body was covered with a kind of thick "goo." I
assumed that it was to help moisturize his very dry skin. I didn't realize that
there were problems with his first icy chamber.]
This was necessary, according to the Associated
Press, because, (after he began to be displayed in the first chamber) "the Iceman
has lost about five grams (.175 ounces) of water weight every 24 hours,
primarily because the humidity in his refrigerated cell fluctuated from the
lights and a viewing window." This required the museum to treat the Iceman
with artificial humidity every two weeks.
The new igloo removes the need for this
treatment. In it, his body will be kept at constant temperature (6.12°
C) and a constant humidity (99.42 percent vs. the old humidity level of 97.12).
Even that small change in humidity level should help preserve the Iceman better.
In a press release, the museum stated: "In this way, the microclimate of
the cell is preserved, guaranteeing unvarying conservation conditions."
With the new chamber, the body
is still visible through the small window,
but the inside of the
chamber has been changed to resemble an ice-tiled igloo. The igloo is kept a
constant 20.98°F (-6.12° C) with a higher humidity rate (99.42 percent) than
before (97.12 percent).
|
Is
the second chamber working? |
In May 2005, Dr.
Eduard Egarter Vigl warned that the Iceman may be in
danger of decaying. A recent x-ray uncovered some gray spots on one knee, a
potential sign that gas is being produced beneath the surface. That gas might
indicate the presence of bacteria...which could threaten the Iceman's second
life as a mummy. The doctor also indicated that the Iceman is losing weight from
dehydration.
Dr. Egarter Vigl recommended a
needle biopsy on the gray spots to determine if bacteria was present, but Bruno Hosp,
president of South Tyrol provincial museums, responded that no such testing
needed to be done. A needle biopsy is considered an invasive test, which (museum
authorities decided four years ago) can no longer be done on Ötzi.
Only more time will tell is Ötzi
is developing a preservation problem. Stay tuned for more details.
