On 19 September, 1991, a group of hikers in the Otztal Alps, on the Austrian-Italian border, came across a mummified corpse. At first, government officials were puzzled by this corpse, but were then astounded to find that radio carbon dating placed the age of the mummy at 5300 years. This individual, referred to as Otzi, had been preserved in an ice pocket for a very long time.
Further analysis revealed that he was about forty five years old at the time of his death, a rather elderly man by the standards of the time, when the life expectancy was considerably less that it is today. He was also a rather violent man, as there were several deep cuts on one hand, which were just starting to heal. In addition, there was the blood of one other man on his knife, the blood of two other men on his arrowheads, and the blood of a fourth man on his clothes.
It was not until 2001 that a Cat scan revealed an arrow head lodged in his left shoulder. The shaft of the arrow had been removed, so that the wound was originally overlooked. Officials assumed that they had stumbled upon an ancient murder victim.
To this day, officials are puzzled as to the fact that the killer of Otzi left all his weapons and tools with his body. Among other things, he had a chert bladed knife, an unfinished yew long bow and a quiver of arrows, most of which were also not finished. He also had a rare copper axe, very valuable at that time. Most people cannot imagine the reason the killer would leave behind such a valuable item.
The world was a far different place at that time. Otzi was a member of a tribe and it is safe to assume that there was no law against killing a member of a different tribe, and in fact such killings may have been encouraged. On the other hand, the killing of a member of ones own tribe was a very serious matter. The tribe was divided into clans, or gens, and people were born into the clan of their mother. Each and every member of any clan was brother and sister to each other, and any acts of intimacy between clan members was strictly forbidden, as was any acts of violence. The social bond was very strong, so that an injury to one clan member required a response from all clan members.
With that in mind, we can put together the clues and piece together a reasonable picture of what probably happened, several thousand years ago. The injuries to his hand show that he was in an altercation several days before his death. They were almost certainly defensive wounds. The blood on his clothes could well have come from a buddy he was assisting. The blood of two men on his arrows very likely came from members of a different tribe, as bows and arrows are generally used at a distance. That was certainly allowed at that time, if not encouraged. But then the blood on his knife likely came from a man of his own tribe, as knife fighting is strictly a close combat matter. That would explain the defensive wounds on his hands. As he survived the knife fight, he very likely killed the man he was fighting, a man of his own tribe. That was strictly forbidden by tribal law.
The man Otzi killed was almost certainly a member of a different clan, and the members of that clan insisted that Otzi be killed. Blood for blood, a life for a life, as per tribal law. Accordingly, the clan sent one of their best hunters to kill Otzi.
Otzi knew that he was being hunted, and decided his best chance was to make a run for the mountains. Above the tree line, he could see anyone approaching him. He did not panic, but left the village in a rush. The fact that his long bow was not finished is proof of that, as is the fact that most of his arrows were not finished. He just did not have time to finish those weapons. He could not bring himself to leave his copper axe behind, as it was so valuable. It became an extra weight, which is the one thing a man on the run does not need.
At first, things went according to plan. Otzi managed to get above the tree line and could see for a considerable distance. Then he relaxed, felling safe at the top of the mountain, and sat down in a hollow to rest and have a snack. This gave the hunter the chance he was seeking.
The hunter the opposing clan sent to kill Otzi knew what he was doing. He was a fine assassin and managed to get close to his quarry, despite the open terrain. He too had a long bow, and his bow worked. He placed the arrow under the left shoulder of Otzi, so that it severed the carotid artery. It was the ideal killing shot. Then with Otzi rolling around on the ground, bleeding to death internally, the killer walked up to him, picked up a rock and hit him over the head, making sure he was dead. He then pulled out the arrow, leaving the arrow head in his victim.
The killing of Otzi was not an act of murder, as the killer was merely performing the task to which he had been assigned. Tribal law dictated that Otzi had to die for the crimes he committed.
That same tribal law also dictated that the few belongings of a dead man belonged to his clan. Those belongings included the weapons of the man, which usually went to the closest male relative, generally the biological brother of the deceased. The man who killed Otzi was aware of this law and respected that law. He left the weapons of Otzi with the body, because they did not belong to him. He probably felt that if the clan of Otzi wanted those weapons, they could jolly well climb up that mountain and pick them up for themselves. He took from Otzi the one and only thing which was his – the arrow in his back.
I hope this clears up the mystery of the reason the killer of Otzi left behind those valuable weapons.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 