Legal battle in Europe about

The dispute lasted for 17 years around the discovery of a 5,300-year-old mummy in the snow in northern Italy that had just been resolved.

On September 19, 1991, Erika Simon and Helmut Simon - a couple of German tourists - discovered a mummy in the glacier in the Oetzi valley, in Bolzano province (north of Italy). It was originally thought to be a body of a modern person. But scientists determine this is a mummy dating back about 5,300 years. This mummy is known as the "ice of Oetzi" , displayed in the Bolzano Archaeological Museum.

Because Bolzano provincial officials refused to pay their remuneration, two German tourists were able to discover that the gang decided to file a lawsuit. Controversy began to erupt in 1994, when the Simon and his wife refused the bonus symbolizing 10 million lire (equivalent to 5,200 Euro). Italian law stipulates those who find artifacts enjoy 25% of their value. While "Oetzi tape" attracted tens of thousands of visitors, and followed by tens of millions of Euro poured into Bolzano.

Therefore, the court said that the prize of 5,200 Euro for the Simon couple was too small for what ' ice people ' brought to Bolzano province. In 2006, the court ruled that the province had to pay 150,000 euros to two German tourists. But Bolzano's lawyers argued that the locality had to bear the excavation funding as well as provide " ice " storage with complex air conditioning systems for many years.

" Iceman " is considered one of the most important discoveries of world archaeologists in recent years. (Photo: Novinky.cz)

It was not until September 29 that the Bolzano provincial government agreed to pay 150,000 euros to the discoverers, ending the long years of controversy. They say the bonus is the recognition of the Simon couple's discoveries and the travel resources that 'ice people' bring to the locality.

However, many people believe that " ice men " have brought risks to those involved in the discovery. Helmut Simon's husband died in a climbing accident in 2004 and six others lost their lives mysteriously, leading to rumors of 'Oetzi curse'. So the amount of compensation mentioned above belongs to Helmut's 71-year-old widow, Erika Simon.

Meanwhile, the " Oetzi gang " is still in the museum with a braided grass coat, leather jacket and waterproof shoes. His other personal belongings include copper axes, stone knives, pipes filled with names, wooden spears, enchanted paint and fire flames placed next to him.

At first it was thought that the " ice man " died of starvation and coldness, but later the scientists realized that he died of wounds in a battle. ' Iceman ' is defined about 46 years old and has a height of 159 cm.