Langmansoren Woman Brought to Life After 4,000 Years

The Langmansoren Woman lived 4,000 years ago in Northeastern Sweden. Find out how an archeological artist has reconstructed her face and forged a human connection with her remains.

Our family cottage has always been a place to enjoy the outdoors, including archery. Because of that, I remember being fascinated by a 5,000-year-old mummy that German hikers Helmut and Erika Simon discovered high in the Alps back in 1991.

Known at first as the Ice Man, then Frozen Fritz and finally as Otzi (after the Otzal Alps where the Simons found him) the freezing temperatures and other conditions in a gully high in the mountains mummifed his body. What intrigued me about him was that he was carrying a bow and a quiver.

The quiver contained twenty arrows in various states of repair, including many that he hadn’t finished yet. Every archer can relate to his having to put heads on his arrows and maintain them after damaging them with regular use.

CARRYING AN EXTREMELY HIGH QUALITY AXE

He was also carrying an extremely high quality axe. Anyone who’s spent time camping or backpacking knows how vital it is to have a good axe with you.

He was also carrying a birch bark charcoal container holding a live coal. If you’ve ever built a fire from scratch…