In 1991，high in the mountains of Europe，hikers made a discovery：a dead man partly frozen in the ice．However，the police investigation soon became a scientific one．Carbon dating indicated that the man died over 5，300years ago．Today he is known as the Iceman and has been nicknamed“Ötzi”for the Ötztal Alps where he was found．Kept in perfect condition by the ice，he is the oldest complete human body on the earth．

Scientists think he was an important person in his society．An examination of his teeth and skull tells us that he was not a young man．His arms were not the arms of a laborer．His dagger（匕首） was made of stone，but he carried a copper axe．This implies wealth，and he was probably from the upper classes．We know he could make fire，as a fire-starting kit was discovered with him．Even the food he had eaten enabled scientists to reason exactly where in Italy he lived．

But why did the Iceman die in such a high and icy place？There have been many theories．Some said he was a lost shepherd．Others thought he was killed in a religious ceremony．Over the years since he was found，tiny scientific discoveries have led to great changes in our understanding of the story of the Iceman．The newest scientific information indicates that he was cruelly murdered．“Even five years ago，the story was that he fled up there and walked around in the snow and probably died of exposure，”said Klaus Oeggl，a scientist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria．“Now it’s all changed．It’s more like a…crime scene．”

In June 2001，an X-ray examination of the body showed a small dark shape beneath the Iceman’s left shoulder．It was the stone head of an arrow．It had caused a deadly injury that probably killed him very quickly．In 2003，an Australian scientist discovered the blood of four different people on the clothes of the Iceman．Did a bloody fight take place before his murder？Injuries on his hand and head indicate that this may be true．One theory，put forward by archeologist