Abstract
Six different mosses have been recognised in samples taken from the intestinal contents of the 5,200-year-old Iceman from the Eastern Alps. Four of the species are important in understanding the lifestyle of the man and/or bear on the events during the last few days of his life: Anomodon viticulosus, Hymenostylium recurvirostrum, Neckera complanata and Sphagnum imbricatum. The past and present chorology and habitats of the Hymenostylium are discussed in detail, as is the ethnobotany of the Sphagnum concerning both the Iceman and Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchí, the first ancient glacier body from North America.
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Acknowledgments
JHD’s work on the Tyrolean Iceman is supported by the Royal Society of London, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. Dr M. O. Hill kindly examined the fragment of Sphagnum Section Acutifolia. Useful comments were made by Dr. Heinjo During of the University of Utrecht.
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Dickson, J.H., Hofbauer, W., Porley, R. et al. Six mosses from the Tyrolean Iceman’s alimentary tract and their significance for his ethnobotany and the events of his last days. Veget Hist Archaeobot 18, 13–22 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-007-0141-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-007-0141-7