Iceman - Age Determination

Tools found near the body accompanied the Iceman to Innsbruck, and one of these tools, an axe with a metal blade, gave scientists a clue to the Iceman's age. The axe's distinctive shape, similar to those of the Early Bronze Age (2,200-1,000 B.C.), suggested the body is approximately 4,000 years old. Repeated radiocarbon dating of a bone sample, performed at two different laboratories, instead indicated the Iceman is 5,300 years old. The axe blade was analyzed and found to be copper, supporting the radiocarbon dating.

Therefore, scientists believe the Iceman lived during the Stone Age, or Neolithic Period. More specifically, he lived during the Copper Age, which occurred in central Europe between 4,000-2,000 B.C.