Addendum to Otzi: The axe

I need to make a correction on the Otzi post. After speaking with a fellow tattoo anthropologist, they informed me Otzi’s axe was not from Asia, but from a Tuscan mine. While this disconnects Otzi from Asia, it still informs us that there was significant travel and trade happening for the time. I incorrectly read my source material, and while copper is largely used in Asia, this particular copper came from Italy.

Additionally, after some thought, I want to unpack the idea of Otzi’s markings as the first tattoos. Initially, I presented two possibilities for Otzi’s tattoos, either adornments or medicinal. Researching Egyptian tattoos tells us that their tattoos served both purposes, and the two are not mutually exclusive. I just want to drop the idea in your head that Otzi’s tattoos could have also served dual purposes.

Last thing, while we see Otzi’s murder as a cold case, there is no way of knowing the people of his time didn’t serve justice to his offender.

Thanks for bearing with me as I step back into researching! I appreciate you all!

Annie