Discovery of Ötzi the Iceman

Date: September 19, 1991 • Location: Airolo, Switzerland

Ötzi, a well-preserved natural mummy of a man dating from about 3300 BC, was discovered by two German tourists in the Alps.

Ötzi, also called The Iceman, Similaun man, or Tyrolean Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived during the 4th millennium BC. Ötzi's remains were discovered on 19 September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps at the Austria–Italy border. He is Europe's oldest known natural human mummy, showing an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic Europeans.