The man who came from the ice, better known as "Iceman" and dating back to 5.300 years ago (Copper Age), is the oldest ice-mummy ever found in the world.

This man was killed by an arrow which pierced his back while he was crossing the Similaun pass at an altitude of 3215 m, near the present-day border between Italy and Austria. His clothes and equipment emerged from the ice in 1991, thus permitting 21st century people to encounter a fellow man from the neolithic period.

The "Institute for Mummies and the Iceman", hosted by the European Academy of Bolzano (EURAC), gathers scientific data concerning mummies and the Iceman. It also coordinates and supports research on mummies and promotes the development of new conservation techniques for different kinds of mummies.