BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists know when Otzi the "Iceman" mummy died (5,000 years ago), they know his age (45), his last meal (venison and ibex meat) but they didn't know why he died after trekking up the Schnalstal glacier in Italy. Now they know.

    Otzi bled to death after being shot with an arrow.

    Frank R¨¹hli of the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and his colleagues scanned the mummy's body using computed tomography (CT) and found a lesion of an artery near the shoulder, underneath the clavicle bone.

    The scientists also found a large hematoma (bruise) in the surrounding tissue signifying blood loss. By combining historic and modern data on how well one survives such a severe lesion, the scientists concluded that the Iceman died within a short time as a result of this lesion.

    "It basically means [the Iceman] would bleed to death," R¨¹hli told LiveScience.

    "Such obvious proof of a vascular lesion in a body of this historic age is unique, and it helped to determine the cause of this extraordinary death without a destructive autopsy," R¨¹hli said. "We look forward to further investigating the circumstances surrounding the Iceman's sudden death."

    R¨¹hli said the case is more than just a medical and archaeological curiosity.

    "We want to have more knowledge of life and death in ancient times to learn more about the evolution of diseases," he explained, referring to the study of ancient diseases as the fourth dimension of medicine.

    (Agencies)