Ötzi the Iceman

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

The following is an adaptation from Ramble On: A History of Hiking:

In 1991, the remains of an ancient rucksack were discovered in Tyrol, a historic region in the Alps of northern Italy and western Austria. Though it’s the oldest backpack ever found, this wood-frame pack certainly wasn’t the first. Archeological evidence shows that nearly every culture around the world has used some form of bag, sack or pack to carry heavy loads on their backs while traveling.

In September of 1991, two German tourists came across a frozen corpse while trekking off-trail along a glaciated ridge below the precipitous slopes of the Fineilspitze in the Ötztal Alps. Because of the location and the condition of the body, the couple assumed that the individual was the victim of a relatively recent mountaineering accident. Evidence, however, soon revealed that the victim was much older than originally thought. The corpse was actually the mummified remains of a Copper Age man who died around 3300 BCE. Among the artifacts found at the site were a copper-bladed axe, dagger, bow, arrows, two birch-bark containers, and the wooden frame remnants of a rucksack. Though all other evidence was long gone, researchers believe that an animal skin or a net was attached to the frame that would’ve allowed the late Neolithic man to carry his possessions on his back. As a result of being found in the Ötztal Alps, the man was given the name “Ötzi.” It’s believed that “Ötzi the Iceman” was roughly 45 years of age when he died. Moreover, an X-ray taken in 2001 revealed that a flint arrowhead was lodged in his left shoulder, which provided scientists with convincing evidence that Ötzi was likely murdered. The mummified remains of Ötzi and his artifacts are now on display in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy.

The museum describes the remains of the rucksack as follows:

A U-shaped hazel rod (approx. 2 m long) and two narrow wooden boards (38-40 cm long) are the only surviving parts of Ötzi’s backpack. The wooden boards and the hazel rod were probably tied together with string, and a hide sack or net was attached to the frame. Backpacks made of wood have a long tradition in the Alps. They were used to transport firewood, for instance.

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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• Just released: Ramble On: A History of Hiking