found «Mrs. Bietikow », mummy of more than 5,000 years- Corriere.it

The bones were accidentally discovered in May during construction work in Bietikow, in the Brandenburg region, which surrounds Berlin: the “Lady of Bietikow” probably lived between 3400 and 3300 BC. This woman, undoubtedly, died at forty, would have been a contemporary of Otzi, the “ice man” whose mummified remains were discovered in 1991 on an alpine glacier, on the border between Italy and Austria. “Then it is possible to compare Otzi and the lady from Bietikow in terms of age. But the discovery of the man from Tisenjoch, that is, Otzi, was much more spectacular in terms of its state of conservation ”, explains archaeologist Philipp Roskoschinsky to the agency France Press. “It was a natural mummy – specifies the scholar -. This means that not only the bones have been preserved, but also all kinds of organic matter, skin, organs ”.

In Brandenburg, not far from the Polish border, just bones, with remains of clothing, were discovered, by chance, during earthworks for the construction of wind turbines. These remains, however, show that this woman was buried during the Neolithic period, more than 5,000 years ago, in a squatting position, one of the oldest forms of burial of the dead. «The few bones of ‘Lady from Bietikow’ are already instructive. At that time, cereals were introduced into food and daily commerce, ”says the archaeologist. “Compared to animals, cereals can be stored better and more easily used as a means of payment. However, this has often led to a deterioration in the health of the population, ”adds Roskoschinsky.

“Some teeth are quite worn, you can see them here”adds Bettina Jungklaus, also an archaeologist, describing in detail the skeleton’s jaw. “There is usually some enamel on the surface of the teeth. Here, however, it is very worn. The enamel is completely absent and this allows us to draw conclusions about the diet: it was undoubtedly very rich in fiber, very hard », says the archaeologist. More tests will now try to determine if the woman really comes from this region or if she has emigrated. Otzi, the “Ice Man” more or less contemporary with the “Lady of Bietikow”, wore a bear hair hat and goatskin leggings. Otzi’s body was covered in 57 tattoos, one of the oldest traces of the practice ever discovered. Otzi’s remains, preserved in the Bolzano museum, attract about 260,000 visitors a year.