Overview

On September 19th 1991, a couple hiking along an Alpine ridge stumbled upon a frozen, intact corpse melting out of a glacier. He was dubbed ""the Iceman"", and his discovery - along with the realization that he was actually 5000 years old - set off a whilrwind of political, scientific and media activity that made him an overnight sensation. In this volume, Brenda Fowler takes the reader through the bizarre odyssey that began in the Stone Age and continued for years after the Iceman was unearthed.

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9780226258232

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Reviews

In this well-crafted retrospective, [Fowler] details the intrigue surrounding the man, who was eventually give the name Ozti. She fleshes out what we now know about Ozti's origins and way of life, as well as how he died. . . . Fowler's story also serves as a pointed look at the commercialization of modern science. -- Science News

"""[Fowler] brings a broad and thorough perspective on the scientists, publicity hounds, propaganda and politics that have circled around the iceman since his discovery. . . . [P]art mystery and part science.""--David Williams ""Seattle Times"" ""A meticulous and smoothly constructed account of the bungled recovery and long, complex analysis of one of the most remarkable archaeological finds of recent years.""--Ian Tattersall, American Museum of Natural History ""A remarkable story, brilliantly told. . . . Fowler's account of the Iceman's discovery, the subsequent politicking between Austrian and Italian authorities over ownership, and the battle of egos among the scientists who had the privilege of glimpsing, in unprecedented detail, life in early Europe reads like a gripping detective novel.""--Roger Lewin ""A German couple hiking in Austria's Ötztal Alps in 1991 found a well-preserved body melting out of a glacier. With the remains were a flint-blade dagger, an ax with a copper blade, an unfinished longbow, a quiver with two finished and 12 unfinished arrows, and a pair of birch-bark containers. Ötzi, as the Austrians named him, was a figure from an ancient past--some 5,300 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating. He provided science with a rare opportunity to assemble information about little-known aspects of Neolithic life. Journalist Fowler describes the findings with care. Alas, the Iceman also provided the occasion for a remarkable amount of bickering. The Austrians thought he was theirs, but a survey showed that he lay in what is now Italy, just 101 yards south of the border with Austria, and so he is now on display at a new museum in Italy's South Tyrol. Additional quarrels arose over the manner of preserving the body, the money to be paid for and made from the discovery, and the conflicting scenarios of how the Iceman met his end. Fowler sets all that out, too. She makes an absorbing story of the saga.""-- ""Scientific American"" ""Brisk and easy-to-follow. . . . Archeological and present-day whodunits proceed in alternating steps throughout Fowler's attentive narrative; readers with any interest in early humans, in the politics of scientific discovery or in this region of Europe will want to dig in.""-- ""Publishers Weekly"" ""Elegant and informative. . . . The Iceman now lies in a specially constructed museum in Bolzano, capital of the Italian Tyrol. Some quarter of a million people have been to see him, and many would no doubt prefer to have his dry relics enlivened with tales of prehistoric passion. But Brenda Fowler shows how a different kind of satisfaction can derive from careful science done well. The results may not be as sensational, but there is something wonderful about being sure about anything that happened up in the mountains so long ago.""--David Papineau ""New York Times Book Review"" ""I really admire this book! Written in sharp, clear prose, it works very well as a detective story, and the quality of research and depth of thought are standards for any work of popular science.""--Jonathan Marks, University of California, Berkeley ""In a world in which creativity is associated with fantasy more than insight . . . the value of an absolute reliable fact can be overlooked. Fowler's book restores our sense of how powerful plain fact can be.""--Penelope Mesic ""Chicago Tribune"" ""In this well-crafted retrospective, [Fowler] details the intrigue surrounding the man, who was eventually give the name Ozti. She fleshes out what we now know about Ozti's origins and way of life, as well as how he died. . . . Fowler's story also serves as a pointed look at the commercialization of modern science.""-- ""Science News"" ""In 1991, a frozen mummy emerged from a glacier in Northern Italy after 5000 years. The story of his discovery and the subsequent scientific study form the basis of this well-crafted and articulate book. Fowler's account places the scientific facts within a chronological narrative as it compellingly relays the death of the Alpine Iceman, the excitement of his remarkable discovery, and the tortured journey to understanding and commercializing him. Fowler . . . highlights science's intensely human, egotistical, and fallible sides. . . . Highly recommended.""-- ""Library Journal"" ""Superbly written popular science and a satisfying look at a serendipitous find that continues to tickle the curiosity of almost everybody.""--Edna M. Boardman ""KLIATT"" ""A well-researched and thoroughly fascinating account of the scientific, political, and commercial ramifications following the discovery of a Stone Age man's mummified corpse. Fowler, a New York Times contributor based in Vienna, covered the discovery in 1991, and in the years following has interviewed dozens of men and women connected with the Iceman. From these interviews and their published writings she has constructed a complex tale of how the widely publicized discovery launched a spate of scientific research and conflicting claims, aroused fierce political and academic rivalries, and became the center of a controversial commercial venture. . . . A lively tale of clashing egos and national pride that reveals more about our own times than the Stone Age.""-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""Some stories are so marvelous--in the purest sense of the word--that they produce a sense of almost childlike awe in the reader. . . . Such is the case with Iceman.""--Michael Frank ""Los Angeles Times"""

When mountain walkers Helmut and Erika Simon found a body emerging from a glacier in the Austrian Alps, they assumed it was the victim of a climbing accident. But it soon became clear to the summoned rescue team that the corpse was much older than was first thought. Archaeologists were summoned to examine both the remains and several artefacts discovered in the vicinity. Their conclusions were startling to say the least. The Iceman had been alive approximately 5000 years ago, and the exceptionally well-preserved artefacts around him represented his personal effects. After the initial preservation process was carried out the scientists were keen to begin examining the remains, but controversy threatened to bring the work to an abrupt halt. It turned out that the body had actually been found just over the border from Austria - in Italian territory. With an international agreement drawn up the archaeologists were finally able to make progress with their research and the results make fascinating reading. Fowler tells the story of that investigation, starting with the day the corpse was first found and following every step along the path to the authoritative recreation of his final days. Her account carries the weight of her meticulous research, including more than 100 interviews with the major scientists and archaeologists involved in the project. She writes with fluency and clarity about the many theories surrounding the man in the ice, not discounting the contradictory, hesitant and downright bizarre. This is not a dull account of an archaeological phenomenon, but an involving and intelligent read that goes a long way to answering some of the key questions about the life and death of the Iceman. Best of all, Brenda Fowler manages to convey his essential humanity, which is surely the most important aspect of them all. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Brenda Fowler's work has appeared in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, and The Times (UK), among other publications.

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