The last domicile of the Iceman from Hauslabjoch: A geochemical approach using Sr, C and O isotopes and trace element signatures

We present Sr, C and O isotope ratios and quantitative ratios of trace elem ent ratios int he rib and the femur of the Tyrolean Iceman 'Otzi'. The resu lts from the rib and the femur are compared with those obtained form pre-in dustrial historic human skull bone fragments collected in the late 19th cen tury from charnel houses located on different geological backgrounds throug hout North and Sou th Tyrol. Comparison of strontium isotope data from the bone fragments locates the Iceman's domicile, during the last 5 to 10 years of his life, to the crystalline part of the Central Alps. Statistical anal ysis of the trace element ratios, together with oxygen isotope results, sug gests that the Iceman probably spent most of his last years in souther elev ated part of the Otztal. However, the results from Iceman only represent th ose from a single individual and are not a representative average of a grou p. It cannot therefore be established with absolute certainty that the orig inal trace element signatures were conserved, especially during the first s tage of mummification. Our conclusions should therefore be regarded as tent ative, but nevertheless the best possible indication his domicile, and a st imulus for further research.