(News Item September 23, 1991)

The mummified remains of a body discovered by two mountaineers in the Oetzal Alps on September 19th has been definitely identified as being of prehistoric origin. Scientists at the Institut für Anatomie in Vienna estimate that the frozen remains are of a man who died some 5,000 years ago and have proclaimed them to be perhaps the single most important European archaeological find of the century.

* * *

There was a storm coming. Lufa, with the instinct of his people who had lived for many generations in the mountain country, could tell from the smell in the air, the wisps of white clouds coming down from the north and the sudden stillness. He knew now that he should have left a day earlier.

He had had to wait longer than usual that summer for the pass to clear. Other than that, the trek down from the mountain valley had been uneventful. It had taken only eight days. But he knew it would take more than twice that long to return home. All in all, however, he was satisfied. It had been a good decision to make the journey by himself, instead of allowing the group of young men who had accompanied him last year to the lowlands to come along.

They had caused trouble-though it had not been entirely their fault. The lowlanders produced some kind of drink that made a pleasant muddle of the mind, but too much had been consumed that final day of their stay last year. There had been anger and unpleasant words on both sides. So this year he had come on a peace mission. There was too much at stake for both his mountain people and the lowlanders. The copper axe he was taking back was a precious item. And then there were shells, and special mushrooms, and many other items the mountain people would never receive unless they maintained friendly relations with these distant neighbors.

And the lowlanders benefited in return -- fine goatskins, and even occasional bits of precious amber that worked its way down the trade routes from the tribes in the far north. Lufa had reason to be satisfied as the first flakes of the storm drifted down from the ridges above.

It took a whole day in the shelter of an overhanging rock to convince him that this was no ordinary storm. To try to fight it and continue was hopeless. The only thing he could do was to wait it out. Pulling his cloak around him and curling up in his shelter, he decided that sleep was the best choice. He would need all of his energy to work his way through the snow. As he drifted off, he once more thought with satisfaction at what he had accomplished. There would no longer be any quarrelling between his people and the lowlanders. Perhaps when he arrived back in his mountain valley his people would call him “Peacemaker.”

* * *

TERRORISTS THREATEN REPRISALS

(January 16, 1998) Today, Austrian terrorists threatened the Italian scientists who arrived in Vienna to move the mummified body of the famous Ice Man of the Alps to Italy. The dispute that began shortly after the discovery of the 5000-year old remains is still raging between Austrian and Italian officials who contest ownership of the valuable find.

This story is reprinted from the August 1999 issue of Seeker Magazine.