Scientists have uncovered the last meal of a hunter who froze to death 5,300 years ago in the mountains of Europe. Researchers said the discovery inside the stomach of a corpse, known as Oetzi the Iceman, showed what Europeans ate at the time.

Shortly before his death, they said, the Iceman ate the fat and meat of a wild goat, meat from a red deer and whole wheat seeds. They reported the findings Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

Researchers also found some fern leaves and seeds. They think he could have eaten the plant by mistake or used it as medicine. Frank Maixner is a scientist at the Institute for Mummy Studies in Bolzano, Italy. He called the discovery “impressive.” He said, “We could see chunks and pieces of food with (the) naked eye.”

Though researchers had previously examined Oetzi’s body, this was the first time they could look into his stomach.

Aliqismet BADALOV,

“Khalq qazeti”