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The Quiver and its Contents
Before he died, the Iceman carefully placed his quiver on a stone slab.
The rectangular, elongated hide bag was made of chamois hide. It is stitched together along its length and the lower narrow end and is supported along its length by a 92 cm-long hazel wood rod. This supporting strut had already been broken in three during Ötzi’s lifetime. He was even carrying one of the pieces. The lid and carrying strap were missing. The side pocket was elaborately decorated with leather strips.
The archaeological community awaited the opening of the quiver with excitement. Besides arrows and rough arrow shafts, it also held:
- Four tips of stag antlers tied together with strips of bast.
- A bent antler tip – a sort of universal tool that could be used, among other things, for skinning animals.
- Two animal sinews.
- A ball of irregularly-formed tree-bast string about 2 m in length. It would have been unsuitable for use as a bowstring.
