But insularity did not mean complete isolation.

The copper in Ötzi’s axe blade had to come from somewhere, and the sophisticated smelting technology required to produce it had to be learned from someone.

The flint from the Trentino region had to reach Ötzi through some network of exchange or travel.

The broader Copper Age trade networks that connected Alpine communities to the rest of prehistoric Europe were the lifelines that allowed these isolated valleys to participate in the technological advances of the age.

The specific network through which Ötzi obtained his copper is not established — copper ore deposits in the Alps are numerous, and the geochemical sourcing of his axe blade to a specific deposit has been attempted but not definitively resolved.