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Archaeobotanical studies are currently being carried out on all the plant remains retrieved from the high alpine site where the Iceman "Ötzi" was found (3,210 m a.s.l.). Preliminary results already show a great diversity of species (121 taxa) mainly originating from lower regions, which must have been transported to the Tisenjoch site by a number o...
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... discovery site of the Neolithic glacier mummy is located in a flat and rocky area of the Tisenjoch (3,210 m a.s.l.), a pass in the O ¨ tztal Alps, in the municipality of Schnals/Senales in Italy, close to the Austrian border (Fig. 1). The rocky hollow where the body has been found lies in a level part of the pass, in the accumulation area of the Niederjoch glacier. The flat local topography and the orientation of the rocky hollow, crosswise to the ice flow's direction ( Baroni and Orombelli 1996), were conditions decreasing the influence of glacial movement ( ...
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... This rocky hollow was crosswise to the ice flow direction, which decreased the influence of the glacial movement. Contrary to steeper areas of the glacier, it is hypothesized that the corpse was not subject to significant ice-flow since much of the soft tissues remained intact with minor deformations (Heiss & Oeggl, 2008). Alongside Ötzi's body were numerous items and tools relatively well preserved. ...
The Ötzi Man was a man who lived between 3400 and 3100 BCE and became frozen after his death. Upon the discovery of his body, scientists have been able to use it to further our knowledge of the time in which he lived. In this book, you will be able to learn about the history of the Otzi Man and kinds of information from after his discovery, including the Otzi Curse, the belongings he had with him, and his status in today’s society.
... Plant macroremains (seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves and other vegetative parts and/or their fragments) are a powerful tool to link a body or other evidence back to a primary crime scene, as they can provide detailed information about the ecological and geographic location where the body has been exposed; their primary importance has been outlined in forensic-like investigations carried out in the archeological context [12]. In comparison with pollen analysis, plant macroscopic remains are easier to collect and process, less prone to contamination, and cheaper to examine. ...
... Methods and knowledge derived from archaeological or palaeoecological studies (e.g. Heiss and Oeggl [12]) may be useful for achieving the full potential of such techniques, which is still to be reached and recognized. ...
Plant science has been more and more utilized in forensic investigation, although its full potential is still to be reached. Plant macroremains are a powerful tool to link a body or other evidence back to a primary crime scene as they can provide detailed information about its previous ecological and geographic location. However, plant macroremains are often poorly preserved and difficult to identify, as diagnostic elements are seldom present within the assemblage occurring on the scene. Plant fragments most likely to be found are those exposed to the environment and resistant to degradation. The bark of woody plants meets these requirements but the possibility of its identification at species level from small fragments is not known.
Starting from a real homicide case, where bark splinters were found on the victim, we aimed to assess the forensic potential of bark identification from small fragments like those likely to occur on a crime scene. Two identification keys were prepared for 16 common lowland tree species from Northern Italy; one key used all the available anatomical traits, the second only those from the outer bark. The second key was not able to discriminate some couples of species unambiguously, but could identify the bark fragments of the homicide as Robinia pseudoacacia, as confirmed from direct comparison with a reference sample. Bark fragments deserve to be included into the macroremains to be analyzed during an investigation, but small samples could easily lack diagnostic traits, and the building of a reference collection should be encouraged.
... P. miliaceum and V. faba became widespread from the Bronze Age onwards, as is already known for some areas and interpreted from results of earlier studies (Jacomet and Kreuz 1999;Rottoli and Castiglioni 2009;Oeggl 2015). Most of the recorded cereals, legumes and oil plants were already known and used in northern Italy from the Neolithic onwards (Nisbet 2008;Heiss and Oeggl 2009;Rottoli and Castiglioni 2009;Festi et al. 2011;Oeggl 2015;Schwarz and Oeggl 2016;Außerlechner 2015;Außerlechner and Oeggl unpubl.;Schwarz and Oeggl unpubl.). ...
Burnt offering sites reflect the physical and spiritual aspects of human life in the inner Alps during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Burnt offerings were made in ceremonies with various parts including fire rites, from which the carbonised macro-remains testify to a significant use of plants. The individual finds and records provide information about diet, firewood supply, economic and social behaviour, faith, skills, crafts, and trade. In this study, the focus was on plant uses and in rites at 25 Bronze and Iron Age burnt offering sites in the Eastern Alps. Wood was the basis for the burnt offering rite, similar to the cremation rite, which was also beginning in the Bronze Age. The most consistently found fuel remains were charcoal from coniferous wood, especially Picea/Larix-type (most probably Picea, spruce), probably due to its burning qualities and easy availability during this period. Corylus avellana (hazel) was the commonest deciduous wood. All identified wood taxa correspond with the local natural vegetation types of the time. Overall, they suggest low-density woodland stands and more or less sustainable human land use near the burnt offering sites, in the hill and mountain vegetation zone. The wood for the pyre was collected near the offering sites, so there are variations in firewood taxa resulting from the differences in the local natural landscape, (micro)climate, geology and edaphic conditions. The charred wood, crops and wild fruit and nut remains were ritually deposited in pits after the fire rite, which is another link to cremation. Food plant remains were usually present in low quantities due to the nature of burnt offerings, but their consistent records at the burnt offering sites point to a deep spiritual connection to nature and a high appreciation for plants as sources of food, raw materials and energy. They show that essentials were central elements of the burnt offering rite and that everyday matters overlapped with spiritual or religious concerns. Altogether, the finds of 15 different crops and 15 different edible plant taxa demonstrate a fairly high food plant diversity at the sites during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum dicoccum (emmer), Panicum miliaceum (broomcorn millet) and Vicia faba (broad bean) were the most consistent and important crops. They reflect a common food trend, which most probably resulted from climate extremes and deterioration. Plants naturally growing outside the Eastern Alpine vegetational zones were nearly absent, showing a lack of trade in food at the time, while native fruits and nuts were often used as ritual plants and played an important role as food plants. They are an argument for local agriculture and economy. Of the wild plants, Corylus avellana (hazel) was the most often found by far, followed by Fragaria vesca (strawberry), Rubus idaeus (raspberry), R. fruticosus (blackberry) and Sambucus nigra (elder). Like the wood taxa, the fruits and nuts indicate a human influenced environment and point to woodland edges, margins and clearings. Some of the firewood and food plants may also have been elements of the offering rite due to their medicinal and psychedelic effects, burning characteristics and symbolic background.
... According to the available archaeobotanic evidence for millets (such as broomcorn Panicum miliaceum L. and foxtail Setaria italica), sporadic appearance of these C 4 plants in Italy is proven since the Neolithic (Carra, 2012;Varalli et al., 2016), first attested in the north of the peninsula (Heiss & Oeggl, 2009;Kohler-Schneider & Caneppele, 2009;Nisbet, 2008;Rottoli & Castiglioni, 2009). Despite the limited number of archaeobotanical studies, a consensus has been reached that millets spread from inner Asia to Europe and became a common crop during the second millennium BCE (Stika & Heiss, 2013). ...
Recent research has shown that the Bronze Age is a crucial period of dietary changes in Italy. Following this line of enquiry, the paper reports the results of stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of faunal bone collagen as well as of collagen extracted from a few human bones dated to the Recent Bronze Age (13th/12th century BCE) and excavated at the coastal settlement of Punta di Zambrone (PdZ) in Calabria, southern Italy. They constitute the first such data on that period from the Italian south and can be used to determine an isotopic baseline of human food sources providing new insights on the diet of humans inhabiting Calabria.
Overall, isotopic data of the faunal samples are fairly uniform, and there is no significant discrepancy to be observed between exclusively herbivorous animals (sheep/goats, bovine, and red deer) and those having a mixed diet, such as dogs and pigs. All the animals have similar δ¹⁵N values with only slightly higher values for dog (6.5‰ ± 1.1), and the average of δ¹⁵N for both domestic and wild animals fits well with published results for herbivorous mammals. Enriched δ¹³C values (range between −19.3‰ and −14.9‰) in most of the faunal samples suggest a terrestrial diet dominated by a mixing of C3 and C4 plants (e.g.. millet). The human diet also reflects an impact of C4 plants in accordance with the archaeobotanic remains. In an interregional comparison, PdZ stands out in this respect among the sites of the Italian south. Human remains from northern Italian sites suggest a much stronger intake of C4 plants than at PdZ.
... Together with his equipment other plant/organic material was incorporated in the ice but also in the sediment of the gully. All the equipment and the sediment was recovered from the gully and analysed [14]. Here we refer to the plant remains retrieved from these ice and sediment samples, which encompass numerous vascular plants and bryophytes. ...
... Andreaea (costate spp probably nivalis) occurs in 48 samples: 34 from sediment, 5 from stray finds, 5 from clothing, 3 from netting and one from equipment. This distribution in the different samples is due to the fact that some moss fragments might have been dislocated, when the ice in the gully was melted [14]. Hymenostylium recurvirostre � , Anomodon viticulosus � , Sphagnum cf. ...
The Iceman site is unique in the bryology of the Quaternary. Only 21 bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) grow now in the immediate vicinity of the 5,300 year old Iceman discovery site at 3,210m above sea level in the Ötztal Alps, Italy. By contrast 75 or more species including at least ten liverworts were recovered as subfossils frozen in, on and around the Iceman from before, at and after his time. About two thirds of the species grow in the nival zone (above 3,000m above sea level) now while about one third do not. A large part of this third can be explained by the Iceman having both deliberately and inadvertently carried bryophytes during his last, fatal journey. Multivariate analyses (PCA, RDA) provide a variety of explanations for the arrivals of the bryophytes in the rocky hollow where the mummy was discovered. This is well into the nival zone of perennial snow and ice with a very sparse, non-woody flora and very low vegetation cover. Apart from the crucial anthropochory (extra-local plants), both hydrochory (local species) and zoochory (by wild game such as ibex of both local and extra-local species) have been important. Anemochory of mainly local species was of lesser importance and of extra-local species probably of little or no importance. The mosses Neckera complanata and several other ecologically similar species as well as a species of Sphagnum (bogmoss) strongly support the claim that the Iceman, took northwards up Schnalstal, South Tyrol, as the route of the last journey. A different species of bogmoss, taken from his colon is another indication the Iceman’s presence at low altitude south of Schnalstal during his last hours when he was first high up, low down and finally at over 3,000m.
... sylvestris (Rottoli and Castiglioni 2009). Recently, more substantial data from the Chalcolithic body of Similaun made it possible to understand something more about the ways of life of the Chalcolithic people (Heiss and Oeggl 2009;Oeggl 2009;Bortenschlager and Oeggl 2000;Höpfel et al. 1992;Spindler et al. 1995Spindler et al. , 1996. ...
... In Italy during the Chalcolithic, flax growing is well attested; its presence has been documented in the pile-dwelling sites of northern Italy (Rottoli and Castiglioni 2009;Rottoli 2014) and in lake-dwelling sites located north and south of the Alps where it was an important crop together with the opium poppy (Jacomet 2006(Jacomet , 2009Heiss and Oeggl 2009). ...
This paper present the results of archaeobotanical analysis carried out at two open-air sites dated to the first phase of the Copper Age, BChalcolithic^ (4th to 3rd millennium cal BC) in Sardinia. The sediment was systematically floated, a total of 3142 l was sampled and 4014 charred plant remains were identified. Chalcolithic agriculture in Sardinia was primarily based on the cultivation of Hordeum vulgare, H. vulgare var. nudum and Triticum aestivum/durum. Possible cultivated legumes of Vicia/Lathyrus, Vicia/Pisum and cf. Pisum sativum were identified. Linum sp. was also present, which may have been cultivated and exploited in Sardinia by the Chalcolithic community. The diet of the Chalcolithic community was complemented by the consumption of edible fruits such as Ficus carica, Sambucus sp. and Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris. Typical Mediterranean shrubs such as Pistacia lentiscus, Juniperus sp., Cistus sp., Malva sp. and Thymelaea hirsuta were also found.
... Our work on the life and death of Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi is almost unique in that we look at the life of one person, on a scale of months, days and hours. The only other known example of such detailed archaeobotanical work is the study of the European frozen man, Ötzi who lived near the border of Austria and Italy about 5,200 years ago (Dickson et al. 2003(Dickson et al. , 2005Oeggl et al. 2007;Oeggl, 2009;Heiss and Oeggl 2009). ...
... The present work concentrates on the Ötztal (Ötz Valley), which runs from the water divide at the main Alpine ridge for about 60 km to the north, draining into the Inn-Danube River system. In order to explore the question of an early appearance of humans in this valley, the area was surveyed over many years, with particular attention paid to finding clues for the presence of humans at high Heiss and Oeggl (2009). The approximate sample locations are marked with numbers and refer to Table 3, where the 14 C results are listed. ...
... Apparently, the Iceman had been preserved for 5000 yr in the shallow patch of ice at the find site shortly after he had died from violent causes (Lippert et al. 2007;Pernter et al. 2007;Nerlich et al. 2009). Although the ice may have melted briefly in warm spells somewhere between 5300 and 2800 yr ago (Acs et al. 2005;Heiss and Oeggl 2009), this apparently had little effect on the excellent state of preservation. ...
... Mosses, on the other hand, seem to be less temperature-sensitive, and grow also in more hostile conditions at this altitude (Dickson et al. 1996). An extensive analysis of plant macroremains from the Iceman site can be found in Heiss and Oeggl (2009). Besides plant and animal remains, a variety of artifacts and pieces of equipment supposedly belonging to the Iceman were 14 C dated. Figure 2 shows the distribution of the samples collected at the Iceman site that have been 14 C dated. ...
The present article reports on the results and interpretation of a total of 235 radiocarbon dates from Alpine sites in the Ötztal region. Out of these, 88 age determinations were performed on equipment and artifacts associated with the Neolithic Iceman (discovered in 1991), and on a variety of plant and animal specimens collected at his discovery site. Since the material was dispersed over a larger area, 14C dates were important to establish the deposition time of the respective samples. About half of the samples fall into the time period where the Iceman lived, documenting synchronous deposition, whereas the others spread out over several thousand years before and after his lifetime. The other set of samples (147) were collected along the Ötztal Valley to the north, with a few samples collected also south of the Alpine watershed. The samples were mainly from soil profiles and peat bogs above the present-day timberline. Overall, the analysis of the data indicates human presence in these high regions of the Alps throughout the Holocene. While the older botanical and archaeological finds indicate activities of hunting and foraging, the younger ones (after ~5000 BC) point to an intensification of pasturing. This suggests that early human activity was concentrated at altitudes where natural pastures were found, which were probably more favorable than locations at the bottom of the valleys where flooding and other hazards existed. Early users may have come from south of the water divide spreading into the northern regions, particularly during the summer season. It is possible that the Iceman perished at one of his crossings over the probably well-known high-altitude mountain pass due to reasons not yet fully resolved.
... The replacement of deciduous oak woods by evergreen oak formations also had some influence on the decline of Taxus according to the pollen results from Sobrestany (Parra et al. 2005). These dynamics coincide with other Taxus pollen records from neighbouring European areas (de Beaulieu et al. 2006;Heiss and Oeggl 2009;Colombaroli et al. 2013;Joannin et al. 2013;Doyen et al. 2013). ...
This paper reviews the palaeobiogeography of Taxus baccata (yew) and the human social customs and traditions relating to this tree in southwest Europe. Pollen and archaeobotanical (charcoal, seeds and manufactured tools) evidence supplemented by some data from ethnographical sources have been considered in an integrated approach focused on the Holocene. The geographical scope covers northern Spain, including both sides of the Pyrenees to southeast France, northeast Spain and the Balearic islands. Although the first archaeobotanical occurrences of yew have been recorded at 12–8 cal. kyr bp, the highest values have been found between 7,000 and 2,000 cal. bp as reflected in its maximum pollen curves in the study area. According to the pollen records this taxon had a first significant presence within the mixed oak woods and then it gradually disappeared (ca. 3,000 bp) from middle altitudes. This might be due to a combination of changing climatic conditions responsible for the major Holocene vegetation changes and increasing human pressure. A wide diversity of human uses is observed in the record of yew macroremains from archaeological sites. The presence of charcoal, potentially consumed fruits, manufactured tools and other archaeobotanical evidence of yew associated with livestock activities lead us to propose a set of past uses that may have contributed to its clear decrease in the late Holocene. Despite this intensive exploitation it is also rather common to find old specimens of planted yew throughout the study area, witnessing its endurance in the memories of people wherever it has remained.
... The discovery of the world's oldest natural ice mummy ''Oetzi or Iceman'' in 1991 has been of great interest to both the general public and the scientific community. The Iceman is already the subject of approximately one hundred publications in the past twenty years [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] . Studies have been conducted to analyze his origin [11][12][13][14][15][16] , cause of death 17,18 , mummification processes 19 , his tattoos 20 and even his last meal(s) 21 . ...
An improved understanding of glycosylation will provide new insights into many biological processes. In the analysis of oligosaccharides from biological samples, a strict regime is typically followed to ensure sample integrity. However, the fate of glycans that have been exposed to environmental conditions over millennia has not yet been investigated. This is also true for understanding the evolution of the glycosylation machinery in humans as well as in any other biological systems. In this study, we examined the glycosylation of tissue samples derived from four mummies which have been naturally preserved: - the 5,300 year old "Iceman called Oetzi", found in the Tyrolean Alps; the 2,400 year old "Scythian warrior" and "Scythian Princess", found in the Altai Mountains; and a 4 year old apartment mummy, found in Vienna/Austria. The number of N-glycans that were identified varied both with the age and the preservation status of the mummies. More glycan structures were discovered in the contemporary sample, as expected, however it is significant that glycan still exists in the ancient tissue samples. This discovery clearly shows that glycans persist for thousands of years, and these samples provide a vital insight into ancient glycosylation, offering us a window into the distant past.
