DNA shows that Ötzi, the “snowman”, was dark-skinned and bald

Ötzi, the "snowman" who lived more than 5000 years ago and whose mummified body was found in the Alps, had dark skin and eyes and was probably bald, reveals a new genetic study published in the scientific journal Cell Genomics. This recent analysis contrasts with Ötzi's artistic reconstruction, which depicted a fair-skinned man with long hair and a beard.

2023-08-17

“Previously it was believed that their skin darkened during the mummification process,” said Albert Zink, head of the Institute for the Study of Mummies at Eurac Research, quoted by CNN International.

However, this new study has shown that, “it appears that the mummy’s dark skin color is pretty close to Ötzi’s true skin color.”

For scientists, it is not surprising that Ötzi had dark skin, since at that time many Europeans had darker skin pigmentation than Europeans today. Changes in the skin color of Europeans can be explained by “climate changes and the diet of farmers, who consume much less vitamin D”, explained Zink.

Ötzi, who would have been around 45 when he died, consumed “a lot of meat”, something that was confirmed by stomach analyzes.

Investigators believe that the “snowman” was bald, since, according to Zink, “there was almost no hair found on the mummy”.