Font size
WorksheetsOtzi the Iceman
Total questions: 25
Worksheet time: 13mins
"Can you give a guy a helping hand?"
Where and how was Otzi discovered?
Found in 1891 in a hidden cave in Austria
Found in 2015 in India after a landslide
Found in 1991 by hikers exploring the Alps
Found in 1492 in present day Florida
"Can you just stop arguing long enough to get my head out of the water?"
Which two countries argued over the "rights" to Otzi?
Austria and Australia
Germany and Italy
Italy and France
Austria and Italy
What museum currently holds and displays Otzi's remains?
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
Austrian Archaeological Institute
Louvre Museum
Museum of Fine Arts and Antiquity
Scientist have determined through carbon dating that Otzi was preserved for approximately
2000 years
5300 years
10,000 years
40,000 years
What makes Otzi so unique as a mummy?
Many of the bandages used to wrap his body were also discovered.
He really isn't that unique...there are other mummies more special.
He was known to have been a great king in the area he was found.
Thus far, he is the oldest intact mummy discovered
Where did the name Otzi come from?
Scientist found his name etched on his tools.
It comes from the name of the Otztal Mts. near where he was found.
The person who first discovered him gave him the name.
Otzi translates to Iceman in German.
Why were some of the artifacts found with Otzi contaminated?
Animals had begun to destroy them.
The pollution of the area ruined many of them.
Special precautions when first handling Otzi and the artifacts were not taken
He had began to thaw too quickly.
It has been determined that Otzi lived
during the time of Julius Caesar
at the very end of the Stone Age
at the end of the Neolithic period
prior to Homo Sapiens
Which of the following was NOT found with Otzi?
bow and arrows
straw cape
bearskin hat
an iron hammer
The fact that Otzi was so warmly dressed suggests that
he was cold-blooded
he knew how to properly prepare for a journey over the mountains
he was likely a farmer
could survive easily in the highest altitude
What could have been a fatal mistake that Otzi made while traveling?
He didn't bring along any food.
He lost his compass and his sense of direction.
Many of his arrows were in need of repair and unusable.
He went up and down the mountain unnecessarily.
By far, Otzi's most prized possession would have been his
bag of medicinal herbs
his flint edge knife
his water repellent boots
his bronze axe
Why is the discovery of Otzi's axe such a big deal to scientists?
No one had before seen such craftsmanship in toolmaking.
The axe was made with a double blade.
It is proof that humans were smelting metals 1000 year before originally thought.
It shows how effective a stone axe could be for protection.
Why were Otzi's clothes and belongings scattered in the area where he was found?
The force of gravity of the snow and ice is believed to have pushed them off his body.
It is believed he removed his clothing when going to sleep.
Scientist assume animals bit at his clothing till very little remained.
They weren't. Otzi was found fully dressed.
How did Otzi's body become mummified?
It was part of a religious ceremony.
First the wind and sun dried out his skin, followed by intense snow and ice which froze him beneath the layers
No one has yet been able to determine how this occurred.
It is believed that Otzi wrapped himself up so tightly in his blankets that he essentially mummified his own body.
Why didn't Otzi's body just fall down the mountain?
He died in a location surrounded by large rocks that were protected from shifting ice and snow.
It did but it tumbled to a lower altitude and remained in perfect form.
Otzi's own hiking gear helped to keep him in one location.
No one knows...it's a miracle!
Why do scientists feel it is risky to examine Otzi's body?
They believe in the ghost stories of the area that it is bad luck.
There are not enough trained scientists to tackle the job.
They are afraid of exposing the mummy to modern bacteria and contaminants.
They have no idea what they will find if they open him up.
In the first few years of examining Otzi, scientists theorized that
Otzi died of natural causes
Otzi may have been a hunter
Otzi may have been a trader
All of the above
What was discovered 10 years after Otzi was found?
that Otzi had a wife buried close by
the copper axe which was initially hidden deep in the ice
a stone arrowhead wedged deep in his left shoulder blade area
clear signs that Otzi had abdominal surgery when he was younger
Check all that apply to what we know about Otzi.
He was thin, but muscular and approximately 5'2" to 5'4" tall.
He had poor dental health
He likely had arthritis and heart disease
He had Lyme disease and was lactose intolerent.
Why do scientists find it so interesting that Otzi had arteriosclerosis (heart disease)?
Because someone his age should have already died from it
Because it indicates that humans may be predisposed to heart disease rather than it being thought of as a modern disease.
Because that is what they determined actually killed him
Because they can't figure out how he could climb a mountain with a heart condition.
What clue(s) support the theory that Otzi traveled up, then down, and then up the mountain in his last days?
His boots showed the wear and tear of such a journey.
They way his frozen body had begun to thaw.
The pollen that was found in his lungs and stomach shows evidence of different altitude trees.
He had clearly run out of food from such a long journey.
What was another amazing discovery that was made nearly 20 years after Otzi's body was found?
That everyone in Bolzano, Italy is related to Otzi.
Otzi's stomach was discovered lodged deep beneath his chest cavity and it was filled with undigested food.
That the scientists examining Otzi would win the Nobel Prize in science.
That clay found underneath Otzi's fingernails proves that he was a potter by trade.
Check off all that apply: Ultimately, which two factors most likely contributed to Otzi's death?
Being shot in the back with an arrow
A severely dislocated shoulder
Blunt force trauma to his brain/head
hypothermia (froze to death)
What is one take-away that we learned by studying about Otzi?
That eating uncooked ibex can give you awful heartburn.
It's never a good idea to go hiking up a mountain by yourself.
If you carry a copper axe, you better watch your back.
That scientific investigation is ongoing and that new evidence creates new theories and further inquiry.
