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The Iceman and the Media
Never before had an archaeological find caused such a media sensation. Journalists speculated wildly about the Iceman’s life and death; he became a major figure of caricaturists and a subject of TV shows.
One journalist even alleged that the whole thing was a hoax and that someone had planted an Egyptian or Peruvian mummy at the scene of the find. In order to deal with inquiries from the press and the scientific community, the Research Institute for Early Alpine History was set up at Innsbruck University.
The name of the glacier find initially caused some confusion. Archaeological finds are usually named after their geographical location as described on official maps. In this case that would be the Hauslabjoch. Topographically, the Tisenjoch is nearer, but it does not appear on any official map. Before the authorities were able to settle on an agreed designation, journalists came up with over 500 different names.
The Viennese reporter Karl Wendl was the first to coin the name “Ötzi” in reference to the adjoining Ötz Valley. According to a resolution by the South Tyrol Provincial Government, the official name for the glacier mummy is “Der Mann aus dem Eis” – “L’Uomo venuto dal ghiaccio”.
