Iceman: Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier

By Brenda Fowler

Book Overview

On September 19, 1991 a couple hiking along an Alpine ridge stumbled upon a frozen, intact corpse melting out of a glacier. He was dubbed "the Iceman," and his discovery--along with the realization... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679431675
• ISBN13: 9780679431671
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Well done!

I'll be visiting Bolzano, Italy, for one night this summer and learned of Otzi while researching the city. This book tells the story of his discovery and all the people involved in securing his current resting place. It is well written and for me was a quick read. Not my typical genre, but it easily held my interest. I enjoyed the author's style and learned a lot about the more recent history of the area from this read.

A Frozen Mummy Comes Back To Life!

Brenda Fowler's training as a journalist pays a handsome reward in this thoroughly-researched and well-written account of Ötzi's discovery on September 21, 1991, his well-intentioned but badly flawed recovery, and his archaeological importance, as well as the academic, political, legal, and financial intrigue (almost always petty) taking place behind the scenes. For eight years, Fowler interviewed everyone involved with Ötzi to uncover the truth about the sometimes misreported and confusing "facts" published in the media. She also has taken a discerning look at the various personalities involved: from the austere Konrad Spindler (who became the main spokesperson concerning Ötzi--and the main recipient of the financial rewards) to the Simons (who first found the body and later wanted to be paid for their discovery) to Klaus Oeggl, a young German botanist, whose brilliant studies of Ötzi countered Spindler's own (fairly unscientific) theory.Her hard work clearly shows: this is as much an archaeological mystery (set both in the Copper Age and the modern scientific world) as it is a record of the facts and speculations about an archaeological wonder named Ötzi. I highly recommend this book. You won't stop turning the pages--and when you're done. you'll want to go visit Ötzi at his Bolzano, Italy home.Eleven chapters, a prologue and epilogue, as well as detailed notes, a lengthy bibliography, and a thorough index. 313 pages, with 33 black and white photo plates inserted in the center of the book. The photos show Ötzi, his accessories, and many of the personalities described in the book. These are not National Geographic quality photos, but that's not the point of Fowler's book. You won't go wrong by reading it.

Iceman, or how not to do researach

I originally bought the book hoping to learn something about the enigmatic, prehistoric mummy found by hikers in the Alps during the early 90s. When I started reading the book, I realized that it possessed a very chatty, narrative style not usually characteristic of the professional archaeologist and looked at the vita of the author. Seeing that Ms Fowler was a journalist, I rather clenched my teeth and prepared for a "readable" account of an archaeological discovery by an interested amateur. Much to my surprise, I found it a very skillfully written and researched expose on how not to do scientific research!! The story of Otzi the Iceman is a parable of our times. Science, enshrined in most of our minds as a clinical, abstract, and apolitical method of thinking and problem solving, is in fact a human activity. As such it is encumbered with all of the frailties attendant upon that condition. The Iceman reveals the political, professional, financial and personal pitfalls that a rare and unusual find of this type create for the individuals involved in its discovery, its preservation, its study and its display. The unfortunate man himself was probably never the focus of this much media and public attention in his entire lifetime. Certainly after his discovery none of the lives of those involved with his mortal remains would be the same again. The drama of the discovery is the center of Fowler's work, which questions the degree to which scientists as people can really be as divorced from the realities and pressures of life and as neutral in their perspectives as the discipline in theory demands. It certainly points out that there are differences in quality among various scientists, and that their personal motives can not be entirely ignored in evaluating the work they do. The book also points out the value of open communication between individual researchers and of peer review. It will be interesting to see if the discoverers of the Andean mummy, Jaunita, who are also mentioned in the book, will have learned from the mistakes of their predecessors.

The Iceman Cometh!

A marvelous blend of scientific journalism and detective novel, Iceman takes us on an investigative spree to the Tyrolean alps where the frozen corpse of a 5,300-year-old man was unexpectedly found in 1991. Surrounded by controversies--national, scientific, touristic and financial--the Iceman promised to open up new vistas of our understanding of human life in prehistoric times. He also promised to bring fame and wealth to those who could claim him as their own, whether through the accidents of discovery or geography, or through the accomplishments of scientific research that would decode the secrets hidden within his well-preserved body, clothing and tools. Following the progress of members of the international research team dedicated to preserving and studying the Iceman, Fowler lays bare the rather scandalously unscientific manner in which much of the research was (or wasn't) coordinated and explanatory hypotheses proposed. The suspense builds as she leads us from one dashed theory to the next, finally arriving at the research and hypotheses she finds most plausible to date. Both the science and the accounts of the scientists--few of whom come off in a very good light--are presented clearly and intelligently in a well-researched, often humorous and always compelling narrative. Highly recommended!

Iceman the book also a fantastic find!

Brenda Fowler's Iceman takes the reader on a beautifully described journey into the Austrian and Italian Alps where hikers unwittingly discover what could be, what SHOULD be, one of the most interesting sociological and scientific finds to date -- the 5300 year old mummified corpse of a man. Fowler is able to shed intriguing if glaring light on the unsavory combination of ego, politics, money and science. She gives readers an intimate portrait of the behind the scenes struggle to find a balance between preserving this historic find and uncovering meaningful information about him. Iceman reads more like a suspense novel than scientific text book and is captivating from page one. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a great story.

Iceman warms my interest

Iceman, by Brenda Fowler, is one of the most interesting, well written books I have read in a long while. It takes an already fascinating subject and, through excellent research and skillful writing, weaves an even more fascinating look into the world in which science, egos, and a need for research money forms an unholy alliance. The finding of the 5300 year old mummy in the Alps is only the beginning..not the end of this story. The author made me feel such a wide range of emotions about this find and the way the once in a lifetime chance for knowledge was handled that I did not want the book to end. I just hope she has an "Iceman 2" planned. I will be first in line to buy it!