A 5,300-year-old murder mystery - Albert Zink

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 穎君 紀

On September 19th, 1991, two hikers traversing the Ötzal Alps

一九九一年九月十九日，

兩名徒步旅人在橫越奧地利 和義大利邊界的阿爾卑斯山時，

on the border of Austria and Italy discovered a corpse emerging from the ice.

在冰上找到了一具屍體。

Researchers soon realized they weren’t looking at the victim

研究人員一開始假設那具屍體 是近期登山意外的受害者，

of a recent climbing accident, as initially assumed,

但很快就發現並非如此，

but the mummified body of a man who’d lived about 5,300 years ago,

那是一位五千三百年前的人 被保存下來的屍體，

who they came to call Ötzi the Iceman.

他們後來稱他為「冰人奧茲」。

One early theory for Ötzi’s alpine death was that he was a local shepherd or hunter

奧茲為何死在阿爾卑斯山上的 初期推測理論之一，

認為他是當地的牧人或獵人， 遇到惡劣天氣，最後被凍死。

who got caught in bad weather and froze.

However, a shocking discovery eventually revealed his true cause of death

然而，一項驚人的發現 揭示出他真正的死因，

and upended his story.

將他的故事翻案。

So, what do we know about Ötzi?

所以，對於奧茲，我們知道什麼？

And how did he die?

他又是怎麼死的？

Over the millennia, the Alpine cold and sun protected Ötzi’s body

在這幾千年間， 阿爾卑斯山的寒冷和陽光

讓奧茲的屍體不會被分解，

from decomposition, freezing and drying it out in cycles,

在循環中將它冷凍並脫水乾燥，

and leaving critical clues for researchers.

留下重要的線索給研究人員。

Ötzi was about 160 centimeters tall, weighed some 50 kilograms,

奧茲大約一百六十公分高，

體重約五十公斤，

and died between 40- and 50-years-old.

死亡時介於四十到五十歲之間。

He led an active life but had a strong genetic predisposition

他常常活動身體， 但基因讓他很容易發展出

for cardiovascular diseases.

心血管疾病。

His intestines were also parasitized by whipworms

他的腸道有鞭蟲寄生，

and his stomach contained ulcer-causing bacteria,

胃裡也有會造成胃潰瘍的細菌，

all of which might have caused some unpleasant symptoms.

這些都有可能會造成 一些令人感到不適的症狀。

He died hundreds of years before Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid

他在巨石陣和大金字塔 落成前幾百年就過世了，

were constructed, around 3350 BCE.

約是西元前 3350 年左右。

Ötzi lived during the late Neolithic Copper Age,

奧茲生活在新石器時代的 青銅時代末期，

when metal extraction and crafting practices

那時，提煉金屬和製造物品的技術 傳播到歐亞大陸各地。

were spreading throughout Eurasia.

Indeed, along with stone arrowheads and knives,

的確，除了石製的箭頭和刀子，

Ötzi carried an axe made of copper from what is now Tuscany.

奧茲也帶了一把銅製斧頭，

來自現在的托斯卡尼。

Swaths of his clothing were made of sheep and goat leather,

他的衣服大部分 由羊皮和山羊皮製成，

and his diet included cultivated grains,

他的飲食內容有栽種的穀物，

all of which suggested that Ötzi’s people relied on certain domesticated animals

所有資訊都顯示，奧茲的族人

仰賴某些家禽和作物來維生。

and crops.

And when researchers inspected Ötzi’s skin

研究人員用從紅外線到紫外線的許多種光

with light ranging from infrared to UV,

來檢查奧茲的皮膚時，

they found a total of 61 tattoos.

他們總共發現六十一個刺青。

Interestingly, the markings corresponded with areas of Ötzi’s body

有趣的是，奧茲身上這些痕跡 所在的位置剛好符合

where he probably experienced pain,

他可能感受到痛苦的位置，

like from degeneration observed in his knees, ankles, and spine.

比如有觀察到退化現象的 膝蓋、腳踝，和脊椎等部位。

Researchers think that the tattoos might have been intended as treatment—

研究人員認為刺青或許是某種治療法——

perhaps an early form of acupuncture.

可能是針灸的早期形式。

Close scrutiny also clarified the circumstances of Ötzi’s death—

詳細的檢查也釐清奧茲死亡的情況——

and led to a tantalizing prehistoric murder mystery.

帶出一個引人入勝的史前謀殺之謎。

A decade into studying Ötzi, a CT scan picked up a crucial detail:

開始研究奧茲十年之後，

一次電腦斷層掃描發現一個關鍵細節：

there was a flint arrowhead lodged in Ötzi’s left shoulder.

有一個堅硬的箭頭 卡在奧茲的左肩內。

Soon enough, researchers started piecing Ötzi’s final days together.

研究人員馬上開始 拼湊奧茲臨終前的情景。

A deep cut wound on Ötzi’s hand showed initial signs of healing

奧茲手上有一道很深的割傷， 已經有癒合的跡象，

and must have occurred just days before his death.

這個傷口出現的時間 應該是在他死前幾天，

It was likely a defensive wound which indicated that Ötzi was attacked

可能是防禦時所受的傷，

表示奧茲受到利刃攻擊，但他做出反擊

with a sharp blade but fought back and survived.

且活了下來。

Ötzi may have dressed the wound with bog moss,

奧茲當時可能是 用泥炭苔來處理傷口，

which has antiseptic properties and was found with his remains.

泥炭苔有抗菌的特性， 且他的遺體中也有泥炭苔。

Meanwhile, the types and location of pollen in Ötzi’s digestive tract

同時，奧茲消化道中有花粉， 花粉的類型和產地

indicated that it was spring or early summer

顯示當時的時間是春天或初夏，

and that his last three days were hectic.

且他人生的最後三天十分忙亂。

Ötzi seemed to be fleeing something.

奧茲似乎在逃離什麼。

About 33 hours before his death,

在他死前約三十三個小時，

Ötzi was at an altitude of around 2,500 meters,

奧茲所在的高度約為兩千五百 公尺，接近高山樹木的生長限度。

near the timber line.

Then, approximately 24 hours later,

接著，大約二十四小時後，

he descended to at least 1,200 meters, to a zone of warmth-loving trees.

他下到了至少一千兩百公尺，

這是喜愛溫暖氣候的樹所生長的區域。

In his final hours, Ötzi reached an altitude of around 3,000 meters

在奧茲生命裡最後幾個小時， 他到達海拔三千公尺的高處，

where grasses, sedges, and certain wildflowers dominated.

這裡的主要生物為青草、 莎草，和某些野花。

His last meal included a large helping of dried wild ibex, roe deer, and grains.

他最後的一餐包括大量的 乾燥野山羊、小鹿，和穀物。

Then, despite Ötzi’s apparent efforts to escape the conflict,

接著，儘管奧茲很努力想逃離衝突，

someone at a distant vantage shot him from behind.

佔有地利優勢的某人從背後射中他。

The arrow pierced a major artery and embedded itself in his left shoulder,

箭刺破他的主動脈，卡在左肩裡，

causing extensive blood loss.

導致他大量失血。

Ötzi probably died soon after,

奧茲可能沒多久就死了，

his remains and all his belongings left undisturbed in the glacier for millennia.

他的遺體和所有隨身帶的 東西都被留在冰河中，

數千年沒有人碰過。

This 5,300-year-old cold case has offered invaluable glimpses into the distant past.

這個有五千三百年歷史的未解之謎

提供了對悠久過往的無價洞察。

But the mystery of who exactly Ötzi was and why he was killed

但奧茲到底是誰，且為什麼被殺的謎團

will probably never be solved—

可能永遠都無法解開——

the tangible evidence for the act degraded and carried away,

這件事的實質證據 早已被分解、帶走，

lost to snow drifts long ago.

遺失在積雪之中。