Iceman: Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier | 
 enlarge | Author: Brenda Fowler
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 577699
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0679431675
Dewey Decimal Number: 937
EAN: 9780679431671
Publication Date: April 11, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: No dust jacket. Upper right hand corner of cover and first two pages are stained. Otherwise the book is in very good condition. Book is ACCEPTABLE with noted wear to cover and pages. Binding intact. May contain highlighting, inscriptions or notations. We offer a no-hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders generally ship by the next business day. Default Text
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Amazon.com Review
In 1991, a dead man was found in a glacier on the Italian side of the Tyrolean Alps. How could he have known, as he settled down for a very long winter's nap, that his discovery would unleash a circus of political, scientific, and journalistic shenanigans that would make and break careers and cause international tension? Science writer Brenda Fowler takes a peek at the bizarre odyssey of this incredibly well-preserved frozen corpse in Iceman, covering every step of his transition from Stone Age accident victim to celebrity specimen to museum piece. The cast of characters involved is large and colorful, including archaeologists, smalltime politicians, curators, writers, and even channelers claiming to speak for Oetzi, as he came to be known. Initially taken to Austria and studied there, he was brought back closer to where he was found in northern Italy after years of political and scientific wrangling, though evidence suggests he may have originally come from modern-day Switzerland. Beyond the battles between nationalistic and egotistical players, Iceman contains an absorbing examination of the scientific process at work: hypotheses announced and discarded, the accretion of new evidence, and the ever-narrowing range of explanations for the find. The story is far from over, as research continues even as the question of Oetzi's resting place is settled (temporarily?). With luck, we may soon learn as much about our recent ancestors as we recently learned about ourselves. --Rob Lightner
Product Description
On a warm September day in 1991, two German hikers stumbled upon a frozen, intact body melting out of the remains of a glacier in the Tyrolean Alps. Over the next few days, as a parade of often irreverent visitors poked and prodded the mummy-like corpse, curious items began to emerge from the ice: an ax with a metal blade, a longbow, finely stitched leather clothing, and--most astonishing of all--boots stuffed with grass. But only after the corpse was recovered and taken for an autopsy to the medical examiner in Innsbruck, Austria, did a vigilant archaeologist recognize that this was no ordinary dead body.
Iceman is the story of the international scientific investigation launched to study the world's oldest naturally preserved human corpse and the astounding cache of prehistoric personal effects found with it. The dramatic narrative takes us from the day of the Iceman's discovery through eight years of scientific investigation, political intrigue, bizarre theories, and ravenous media coverage.
The product of more than one hundred interviews with researchers in Austria, Italy, and Germany, Iceman follows scientists into labs and archaeologists into the field as they search for clues to the life and times of a man who lived before the advent of writing and cities. Who was he? Why were parts of his equipment damaged and unfinished? Where was he going? How did he die?
Iceman is not merely a compendium of data but the story of the forces that produced and shaped them. At times, debates over who owned the Iceman and what should be done with him overshadowed the research. Brenda Fowler chronicles the scientists' squabbles and ego trips and the unexpected twists in the research, including the claim that the Iceman was a fraud and the mystery of his missing penis. Along the way, the authority of science is powerfully questioned and then, largely, reaffirmed in a surprise ending that has already led to a reexamination of the Iceman's final hours and his five millennia in the ice.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Iceman the book also a fantastic find! April 28, 2000
Heather Lynch (Wisconsin)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Brenda Fowler's Iceman takes the reader on a beautifully described journey into the Austrian and Italian Alps where hikers unwittingly discover what could be, what SHOULD be, one of the most interesting sociological and scientific finds to date -- the 5300 year old mummified corpse of a man. Fowler is able to shed intriguing if glaring light on the unsavory combination of ego, politics, money and science. She gives readers an intimate portrait of the behind the scenes struggle to find a balance between preserving this historic find and uncovering meaningful information about him. Iceman reads more like a suspense novel than scientific text book and is captivating from page one. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a great story.
Iceman, or how not to do researach July 9, 2000
Atheen M. Wilson (Mpls, MN United States)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful
I originally bought the book hoping to learn something about the enigmatic, prehistoric mummy found by hikers in the Alps during the early 90s. When I started reading the book, I realized that it possessed a very chatty, narrative style not usually characteristic of the professional archaeologist and looked at the vita of the author. Seeing that Ms Fowler was a journalist, I rather clenched my teeth and prepared for a "readable" account of an archaeological discovery by an interested amateur. Much to my surprise, I found it a very skillfully written and researched expose on how not to do scientific research!! The story of Otzi the Iceman is a parable of our times. Science, enshrined in most of our minds as a clinical, abstract, and apolitical method of thinking and problem solving, is in fact a human activity. As such it is encumbered with all of the frailties attendant upon that condition. The Iceman reveals the political, professional, financial and personal pitfalls that a rare and unusual find of this type create for the individuals involved in its discovery, its preservation, its study and its display. The unfortunate man himself was probably never the focus of this much media and public attention in his entire lifetime. Certainly after his discovery none of the lives of those involved with his mortal remains would be the same again. The drama of the discovery is the center of Fowler's work, which questions the degree to which scientists as people can really be as divorced from the realities and pressures of life and as neutral in their perspectives as the discipline in theory demands. It certainly points out that there are differences in quality among various scientists, and that their personal motives can not be entirely ignored in evaluating the work they do. The book also points out the value of open communication between individual researchers and of peer review. It will be interesting to see if the discoverers of the Andean mummy, Jaunita, who are also mentioned in the book, will have learned from the mistakes of their predecessors.
The Iceman Cometh! June 20, 2000
Celia Brickman (Chicago)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A marvelous blend of scientific journalism and detective novel, Iceman takes us on an investigative spree to the Tyrolean alps where the frozen corpse of a 5,300-year-old man was unexpectedly found in 1991. Surrounded by controversies--national, scientific, touristic and financial--the Iceman promised to open up new vistas of our understanding of human life in prehistoric times. He also promised to bring fame and wealth to those who could claim him as their own, whether through the accidents of discovery or geography, or through the accomplishments of scientific research that would decode the secrets hidden within his well-preserved body, clothing and tools. Following the progress of members of the international research team dedicated to preserving and studying the Iceman, Fowler lays bare the rather scandalously unscientific manner in which much of the research was (or wasn't) coordinated and explanatory hypotheses proposed. The suspense builds as she leads us from one dashed theory to the next, finally arriving at the research and hypotheses she finds most plausible to date. Both the science and the accounts of the scientists--few of whom come off in a very good light--are presented clearly and intelligently in a well-researched, often humorous and always compelling narrative. Highly recommended!
Iceman warms my interest April 26, 2000
Linda Lynch (Madison, Wisconsin)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
Iceman, by Brenda Fowler, is one of the most interesting, well written books I have read in a long while. It takes an already fascinating subject and, through excellent research and skillful writing, weaves an even more fascinating look into the world in which science, egos, and a need for research money forms an unholy alliance. The finding of the 5300 year old mummy in the Alps is only the beginning..not the end of this story. The author made me feel such a wide range of emotions about this find and the way the once in a lifetime chance for knowledge was handled that I did not want the book to end. I just hope she has an "Iceman 2" planned. I will be first in line to buy it!
A Frozen Mummy Comes Back To Life! August 2, 2001
James M. Deem (NY United States)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Brenda Fowler's training as a journalist pays a handsome reward in this thoroughly-researched and well-written account of Oetzi's discovery on September 21, 1991, his well-intentioned but badly flawed recovery, and his archaeological importance, as well as the academic, political, legal, and financial intrigue (almost always petty) taking place behind the scenes. For eight years, Fowler interviewed everyone involved with Oetzi to uncover the truth about the sometimes misreported and confusing "facts" published in the media. She also has taken a discerning look at the various personalities involved: from the austere Konrad Spindler (who became the main spokesperson concerning Oetzi--and the main recipient of the financial rewards) to the Simons (who first found the body and later wanted to be paid for their discovery) to Klaus Oeggl, a young German botanist, whose brilliant studies of Oetzi countered Spindler's own (fairly unscientific) theory. Her hard work clearly shows: this is as much an archaeological mystery (set both in the Copper Age and the modern scientific world) as it is a record of the facts and speculations about an archaeological wonder named Oetzi. I highly recommend this book. You won't stop turning the pages--and when you're done. you'll want to go visit Oetzi at his Bolzano, Italy home. Eleven chapters, a prologue and epilogue, as well as detailed notes, a lengthy bibliography, and a thorough index. 313 pages, with 33 black and white photo plates inserted in the center of the book. The photos show Oetzi, his accessories, and many of the personalities described in the book. These are not National Geographic quality photos, but that's not the point of Fowler's book. You won't go wrong by reading it.
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