THE ICEMAN COMMETH

We have learned many lessons from this man who died over 5000 years ago. In some ways we are still learning.

Life was hard for this ordinary man. Today, in Japan a pair of Reeboks sells for over 700 American dollars. The iceman's shoes were made of leather strips tied together and stuffed with grass.

When the iceman got ill, he couldn't visit the doctor, a man with years of training. He couldn't take some pills, created with years of research behind them. He used anything handy he thought might help him, beginning with two pieces of fungi attached to a string. This was a sort of primitive antibiotic. He also seemed to have used the magical properties of the tattooed stripes, an ancient placebo, perhaps. These stripes were found on his body in places where they weren't likely to be used as an ornament.

When he got cold he couldn't just walk to the wall and turn up the thermostat. He had to use his copper axe to cut whatever vegetation he could find that would burn. He carried pieces of charcoal that may have been live coals to start his fire. He also carried flint and pieces of dry felt-like moss for tinder.

When the iceman needed something he couldn't make for himself, there was no "blue light special in aisle five" at the nearby K-mart. He had to rely on trade with other areas many miles away. From the clues he left behind, we know he did trade with other cultures.

From the iceman we learned that sewing and braiding existed over 5000 years ago. The workmanship of his clothes and tools attest to this.

We learned that the technology to smelt copper is thousands of years old.

In his clothes they found both pollen and two spikelets of wheat. He also had a piece of ibex meat and some berries. There was no McDonalds for Otzi!

Because of the way the find was handled before it was realized what it was, we hope people have learned the lesson of careful handling of any thing unusual found. Had this been a modern murdered man, any evidence would have been destroyed in the trampling.

David Wheeler seems to have learned lessons from his "iceman project" as well. He said he learned that all teachers and administrators were not helpful. He learned that he might have been more helpful by being less of a director. He said he learned to meld media. I think this means he learned that he could use different types of media as his medium and come out with something great. I especially liked the piece of wood used to symbolize a piece of meat.

I learned that all art does not have to be beautiful.

Archaeologists are still learning lessons from the information gathered from Otzi.

Unless they keep their eyes shut tight, anyone visiting the collection will come away learning something.