World's Oldest Murder 1
When the body of the Iceman was discovered,nobody realized that he had been murdered.
It was first believe that he got lost in the storm,and he died in the cold weather.
However,with the discovery of an arrowhead in his body,it was clear that the Iceman was murdered.
Analysis show that the arrow had entered his body and cut through an artery in his chest.
This would have caused severe bleeding and weakened him.
With the loss of blood,he couldn't have survived for very long after being shot.
Further examinations revealed something more about how he may have died.
Using a CT scan,scientists found blood in his brain.
This indicated that he was struck on the head before he died.
Either he was hit on the head or he fell and struck his head on the rock.
This probably happened when he was in a weakened condition after being shot by the arrow.
Additional evindence showed that the arrow itself had been pulled out of the body.
It had been pulled out with force leaving just the arrowhead inside.
Even more interesting was what was left behind the copper ax.
The technology needed to make such a weapon was new at the time.
As a result,scientists believed it was a sign of great wealth and position.
This suggests the Iceman may have been an important leader.
It also raises the question of why the killer didn't take it with him.
(The killer left the copper ax behind even though it was valuable.)
World's Oldest Murder2
If the Iceman was important,he may have been the leader of his community.
One leading theory about his death is that he was a assasinated.
In ancient times to take power you often had to kill the leader.
Perhaps the Iceman was the target of an assassination.
The murderer may have followed the Iceman and killed him from behind.
Then,to protect his identity,he put out the arrow and covered the body.
He left the copper ax behind so that he couldn't be identified.
According to this theory,the Iceman was killed by a member of his own community.
Therefore,the murderer was probably someone he knew.
Another theory,is that the Iceman was killed after a battle with outsiders.
Since his community was located along an important trade route,it may have been attacked.
The Iceman may have been the military leader fighting to defend his village.
Perhaps he was in a battle with the attackers on the day that he died.
According to this theory,he was fleeing from the battle and was caught from behind in an isolated area.
However,from an analysis of his stomach,it is unlikly that he was running from anyone.
There was a half-pound of food in his stomach when he died.
Since food only remains in the stomach for about an hour,he must have eaten a large meal shortly before his death.
Someone who is in a hurry would never take the time to stop and eat such a large meal.
And if he was killed by outsiders,why didn't they take the copper ax.
So the question remains about what happened on that final day of his life.
The truth is that nobody will ever know what really happened.
The Iceman's murder will remain a mystery forever.
(One way to gain power was to kill the leader.)