The world’s oldest blood cells were found in a 5300-year old mummy, accidentally come across by a pair of hikers in the Alps. The red blood cells also confirmed the mysterious death of the mummy. The Mummy of lactose intolerant `Iceman’, called Oetzi gave in many details about the death of the iceman. The research published by the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich said, that Oetzi was shot in the ribs by an arrow. Before succumbing to the injury, he is to have lived for some time. As per the researchers the Oetzi was handsome, 1.6m height with brown eyes and hair weighing just 50kgs. But he was allergic to milk products. Researchers also claim that at the time of death he must have been 45 years of age.

The joint study was conducted at the Centre for Smart Interfaces at Darmstadt Technical University in Germany and the Centre for Nano Sciences in Munich, and published by the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. The mummified body is kept in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy.

According to a theory aired in 2010 by an Italian archaeologist, based on seasonal pollen found in his stomach contents and at the burial site, Oetzi did not die at the spot where his remains were found. Instead, he was only ceremonially interred there.  (With Inputs from Internet-