‘Otzi the iceman’ had ‘horrible tasting’ meal before he was murdered 5,300 years ago

It has been revealed that the 5,300 year-old-corpse known as Ötzi the iceman had a horrible last meal before he was brutally murdered.

Ötzi the iceman, who is considered Europe's most famous mummy, was discovered just 32 years ago lying face-down in the Ötztal Alps.

Although his corpse had been there for thousands of years, it had been naturally preserved by the freezing temperatures.

Because Ötzi's body was so well preserved, researchers were able to uncover an impressive level of detail about the iceman - including what his final feast was, thanks to the food still sitting in his intestines.

First things first though, how did he die exactly?

Well, an in-depth analysis found that the beloved mummy had, in fact, been murdered.

A gash between his thumb and first finger led scientists to believe that Ötzi the iceman had been trying to grab a blade out of an attacker's hand a few days before he died.

That gash was still on the mend when he was attacked again with an arrow to the left shoulder, which unfortunately hit an artery.

Experts believe that the wound would have caused Ötzi to die within minutes.

Before that nasty death though, it's been unveiled that Ötzi the iceman tucked into a pretty rank meal that, unbeknownst to him, would be his last.

After finally locating Ötzi's intestines in a CT scan, researchers were able to analyse the food that had been preserved inside.

According to Frank Maixner from the Eurac Research Institute for Mummy Studies, Ötzi the iceman's final meal mostly consisted of a wild goat species called Alpine ibex - sounds delicious, doesn't it?

Maybe not, but the high fat content was actually just what he needed.

"He clearly knew that fat is a high-energy source and he really composed his diet to survive at high altitude," Maixner said, as reported by the Guardian.

Although experts believe that Ötzi's high-fat meal would have given him great sustenance for a days-long hunting trip up in the alps, it would have tasted horrific.

To get a better idea of Ötzi's final meal, Maixner actually tried ibex - and that's called dedication.

His review is as follows: "The taste is really, well, it’s horrible. And they had no salt at the time."

Yeah, it sounds like poor old Ötzi had a rough go of it when he was alive all those thousands of years ago.

But, if it's any compensation, being known as Europe's most famous mummy is a pretty fantastic legacy.

Featured Image Credit: M.Samadelli / urac.Southtyrolarchaeologymuseum / Kennis © South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology / Foto Ochsenreiter)

Topics: Weird, Science, Food And Drink

Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

@alicondon