Researchers studying 5,300-year-old ‘Oetzi’ have found traces of
blood, the oldest red blood cells ever recovered, showing he
died shortly after his wound was inflicted. Tissue samples from
his fatal arrow wound revealed the distinctive ‘doughnut’ shape
of red blood cells, and fibrin, a protein associated with blood
clotting. The traces of fibrin show the ice mummy’s blood did
not have time to clot before he died. Project leader Prof Albert
Zink said: ‘Fibrin is present in fresh wounds and then degrades,
so the theory that Oetzi died some days after he was injured by
the arrow can no longer be upheld.’ This article is an extract
from the full article published in World Archaeology Issue 53.
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