King Tut to Otzi the Iceman
Dr. Albert Zink, Scientific Director at the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman came to UMSL to lecture on the scientific study of humans mummies from King Tut to Otzi the Iceman.
Otzi the Iceman, also called the Similaun Man, the Man from Hauslabjoch, Homo tyrolensis, and the Hauslabjoch mummy) is a well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived around 3,300 BCE, more precisely between 3359 and 3105 BCE, with a 66% chance that he died between 3239 and 3105 BCE. The mummy was found in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, hence the nickname "Ötzi", near the Similaun mountain and Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy. He is Europe's oldest known natural human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic Europeans. His body and belongings are displayed in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy.
Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled ca. 1332–1323 BC in the conventional chronology), during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. He is colloquially referred to as King Tut. He is possibly also the Nibhurrereya of the Amarna letters, and likely the 18th dynasty king Rathotis who, according to Manetho, an ancient historian, had reigned for nine years. The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter and George Herbert of Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb received worldwide press coverage. It sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun's burial mask, now in Cairo Museum, remains the popular symbol.
Dr. Albert Zink received his PhD (1998) at the University of Munich, where he also finished his habilitation (Assistant Professor) in 2005. He is director of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Bolzano, Italy. His major scientific interest is the evolution of infectious diseases and the impact of diseases on historic populations and their development. He is currently president of the Society of Anthropologists in Germany. |
Will and Helen Carpenter Series
In addition to numerous services given to UMSL, and scholarships provided in their names, The Carpenters have also helped create the Hellen & Will Carpenter Series on Contemporary Issues in American Society. Each semi-annual discussion features a different topic with a panel discussion moderated by a UMSL faculty member who is an expert on the subject matter. Past panels have focused on child abuse, health disparities in cognitive aging, and the Affordable Health Care Act.