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Swiss scientists identify bowstring used by Ötzi the Iceman

Otzi
German actor Juergen Vogel walks on the set of the film with the working title 'ICEMAN - Die Legende von Ötzitzi' (ICEMAN - The legend of Ötzi). Keystone

Swiss scientists have established that a cord found next to the body of Neolithic hunter Ötzi the Iceman was a bowstring.

“Ötzi now holds another record: his artfully twisted string is the oldest known bowstring in the world and also the best preserved,” the South Tyrol Museum of ArchaeologyExternal link said in a statement. “Ötzi carefully wrapped it up into an S-shaped bundle and tied a knot at the end.”

Neolithic bowstrings are unusual in the archaeological record. More common are arrowheads, which are  made  of  durable  material,  such  as  flint,  stone  and  bone.

Swiss scientists Albert Hafner, Werner Schoch, Jurgen Junkmanns published their conclusions in the Journal of Neolithic ArchaeologyExternal link.

Ötzi’s mummified body was found in the melting ice of the Schnalstal glacier in the Italian Alps in 1991.

He has since undergone many scientific tests to find out why he died and more about his lifestyle. 

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