A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold (ice mummies), very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry conditions.
Ötzi the Iceman, Similaun Man, and Man from Hauslabjoch are modern names for a well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived about 5,300 years ago. The mummy was found in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, hence Ötzi, near the Similaun mountain and Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy.
Otzi the Iceman was 5'5" tall, weighing in at 84 pounds. He was aged 46 years at the time of his death and hailed from the Copper Age, in Neolithic times. He spent his childhood in an Italian village called Velturno, to the north of Bolzano.
Evidence shows that he was probably a high altitude Shepard, judging from his tibia (shins). Evidence also shows that he was born in Feldthurns. Scientists believe this because his bones suggest he didn't stray more than 90 miles away from his hometown.
At the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano/Italy, the Iceman is exhibited with all his clothing and equipment. Otzi is one of the worlds best-known mummies, discovered in 1991 on a glacier, he is 5,300 years old.
This site has images of all the artefacts found with the body and an analysis of how the items were made. Great reading.
