Ötzi the Iceman was wearing a full outfit of animal hides and plant fibers when he died in the Alps around 5,300 years ago. His wardrobe included a bearskin cap, a coat stitched from goat and sheep hides, goat leather leggings, a sheep leather loincloth, and remarkably complex shoes made from three different animal species. A 2016 DNA study confirmed that Copper Age people deliberately selected specific animal hides for specific garments, mixing domesticated and wild animal materials depending on the purpose.
Bearskin Cap
Ötzi’s hat was made from brown bear hide. Several pieces of bearskin had been stitched together into a rounded, bowl-like shape, and a chin strap kept it secured to his head. This is one of only two items in his outfit made from a wild animal rather than livestock, which suggests bear hide was specifically valued for headwear. Whether that choice was about warmth, durability, or status is impossible to know for certain, but brown bear fur would have provided solid insulation at high altitude.
The Patchwork Coat
His coat was the largest and most complex garment. DNA analysis revealed it was assembled from at least four separate hides belonging to two species: sheep and goat. The hides were stitched together in what researchers describe as a haphazard pattern, suggesting the coat had been repaired and patched repeatedly over its lifetime rather than crafted from a single, uniform piece. The stitching was done primarily with animal sinew, though some plant-based threads made from grasses and bast fibers were also used.
This patchwork construction tells us something practical about Neolithic clothing. Hides wear out, tear, and thin over time. Rather than discarding an entire coat, Ötzi (or whoever maintained his clothes) simply added new panels wherever the old ones failed. The result was functional but far from elegant.
Leggings and Loincloth
Ötzi wore separate leggings made from goat leather, each covering one leg individually rather than being joined like modern trousers. His loincloth, which served as an undergarment, was made from sheep leather. Both of these items came from domesticated animals, fitting the broader pattern researchers identified: everyday garments that saw heavy use and needed regular replacement were sourced from livestock that people had ready access to, while wild animal hides were reserved for specialty items.
Shoes Built From Three Species
The shoes are arguably the most impressive part of the outfit. Each one combined leather from three different animals. The soles were made from brown bear skin, chosen likely for its toughness against rocky terrain. The upper portion and heel were crafted from roe deer skin, which is thinner and more flexible. Thin cowhide straps laced the upper leather to the sole.
Inside each shoe sat a net structure woven from lime tree bast, the fine inner bark layers that can be peeled in strips up to two and a half meters long. This netting held bundles of dried grass packed around the foot. Researchers have identified several grass species in the shoes, including tor-grass, mat-grass, and various fescue types. The grass served as both insulation and padding, essentially functioning like a removable insole. When the grass compressed or got wet, it could be swapped out for a fresh handful, a surprisingly practical system for someone spending days crossing alpine passes at elevations above 3,000 meters.
Grass Cloak or Cape
Among the items found with Ötzi was a woven grass garment, likely worn as an outer cloak or cape. Woven from long plant fibers, this piece would have served as a rain layer or windbreak over his coat. Similar grass cloaks were still being used by shepherds in the Alps well into the modern era, which gives some sense of how effective the design was. It would have shed rain reasonably well and added an extra layer of warmth without the weight of additional leather.
Belt and Tool Pouch
Ötzi wore a leather belt that held a small pouch. Inside, archaeologists found a surprisingly complete toolkit: a stone scraping tool, a boring tool for punching holes, a small stone flake, a bone awl (useful for leatherworking), and several pieces of tinder fungus with traces of iron pyrite. That last combination is essentially a fire-starting kit. The fungus catches sparks easily, and striking pyrite produces them. He also carried a flint dagger fixed to the belt’s exterior.
What the Outfit Reveals
The most striking takeaway from DNA analysis of the clothing is how deliberate the material choices were. The majority of Ötzi’s garments came from domesticated cattle, sheep, and goat, animals that were readily available and could provide hides on a regular basis. But his cap and his quiver (used to carry arrows) came from wild species: brown bear and roe deer. This pattern suggests that Copper Age Alpine communities weren’t just grabbing whatever hide was available. They were selecting materials based on the specific demands of each item.
Everything about the outfit points to a life of constant maintenance and resourcefulness. The coat was patched from mismatched hides. The shoes were designed so their grass insulation could be replaced on the trail. The stitching combined animal sinew with plant fibers depending on what was at hand. Ötzi’s wardrobe wasn’t fashionable, but it was engineered through generations of practical knowledge to keep a person alive in one of Europe’s harshest environments.