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His mummified body has already given us a plethora of clues about how our ancestors lived, and now Ötzi the Iceman has also provided what's said to be the world's oldest blood cells.

Researchers studying the mummy, which was discovered perfectly preserved on a glacier in the Alps 14 years ago, have found minute traces of blood in an arrow wound thought to have killed the prehistoric man.

Their findings have also provided new details about how the Stone Age hunter died on the mountains on the Austrian-Italian border 5,300 years ago.

Ötzi the Iceman's mummified remains (shown above) were found on a glacier on the Italian and Austrian border in 1991. Researchers have now discovered traces of a molecule involved in blood clotting on the body, suggesting he bled rapidly to death from an arrow wound to his shoulder

They discovered traces of a molecule that is involved in blood clotting in the minutes after a wound starts to bleed.

Normally this molecule, known as fibrin, is only transitory and breaks down relatively rapidly as other clotting agents form.

This suggests that Ötzi may have bled to death relatively soon after being shot by an arrow, the head of which was found lodged in his left shoulder.

The red blood cells and fibrin were discovered by researchers at the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Bolzano, Italy, who used a pioneering nano-sized probe to detect them.

Previous attempts to find any remains of blood on the body, which had been naturally mummified in the ice that covered it, had been unsuccessful.

Speaking to National Geographic, Professor Albert Zink, head of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, said the study finally proved how Ötzi had died.

He said: 'Fibrin is formed immediately when you get a wound, within a few minutes, but then it disappears.

'Finding fibrin in the arrow wound is confirmation that Ötzi actually died very quickly after the arrow shot.

'There were still some people arguing that he survived the arrow maybe a few hours or a few days, but this was definitely not true.'

Ötzi was discovered in 1991 by German tourists trekking on the Italian Schnal Valley glacier in the Ötztal Alps in 1991. 

Much of the body was still frozen in the ice and officials had to use drills and ice axes to extract it.

He is thought to have been a warrior or hunter living between 3,105BC to 3,359BC and is the oldest known natural mummy.

His remains have been extensively studied revealing insights into the diet, health and diseases that afflicted people at the time.

When alive he is thought to have stood around 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed just under 8 stone (50kg).

The scientists used a pioneering technique that uses a nano-probe to scan the arrow wound in the Iceman's sounder and revealed the distinctive doughnut shape of red blood cells, as can be seen in the images above

Otzi's mummified remains (left) have been extensively studied by scientists, allowing them to produce the reproduction on the right, which show him as a stone age hunter or warrior who was 5 feet 5 inches tall

Recently researchers discovered a series of tattoos on his skin.

Along with the body, archaeologists discovered a copper axe, a flint bladed knife and a quiver of 14 arrows.

His body itself bore multiple wounds, including bruises and cuts to the hands, wrists and chest. He also showed injuries that suggest a blow to the head.

One cut to his hand reached down to the bone and had not shown any signs of healing, while he also had an arrow head lodged in his shoulder.

The arrow shaft appeared to have been broken off and some experts have suggested the position of the body indicated Ötzi himself had rolled over onto his stomach in an attempt to break off the shaft.

It is believed Ötzi had been injured in a fight or possibly a skirmish.

Although signs of dried blood had been found on his clothing, attempts to extract any blood from the body have previously been unsuccessful.

Ötzi's body was found with a copper axe (shown above) and he appeared to have suffered extensive wounds

Scientists discovered haemoglobin, a protein found in blood, in a skin wound on Ötzi's right hand but intact blood cells had been found before.

Now in the latest study, which is published in the journal Royal Society Interface, the researchers used a pioneering probe to trace the three dimensional structure of the found.

The images they obtained revealed the classic doughnut shape of red blood cells.

A specialised microscopy technique called Raman spectroscopy also found traces of fibrin.

Writing in the journal, the research team said: 'These first results indicate that red blood cells have been preserved for more than 5000 years in the wound tissue of the mummy.

'The morphology and the Raman fingerprint of some corpuscles point to remnants of a haemostatic clot. This observation confirms that the Iceman sustained several injuries before his death.'

WHO WAS OTZI?

DNA analysis recently revealed details of the iceman's life (reconstructed model pictured)

The 5,300-year-old 'ice mummy' known as Otzi suffered from the world's first-known case of Lyme disease, a bacterial parasite spread by ticks, according to new DNA analysis.

Otzi, who was 46 at the time of his death and measured 5ft5in, also had brown eyes, had relatives in Sardinia, and was lactose intolerant.

Otzi was also predisposed to heart disease.

The new research focused on the DNA in the nuclei of Otzi's cells, and could yield further insights into the famous 'ice mummy's life.

He was unearthed in September 1991 by a couple of German tourists trekking through the Oetz Valley, after which he was named.

He was about 46 years old when he met his death. 

The iceman has been crucial to our understanding of how prehistoric people lived, what they wore and even what they ate.

Researchers examining the contents of his stomach worked out that his final meal consisted of venison and ibex meat.

Archaeologists believe Otzi, who was carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows and a copper axe, may have been a hunter or warrior killed in a skirmish with a rival tribe.

Researchers say he was arthritic and infested with whipworm, an intestinal parasite.

His perfectly preserved body is stored in his own specially designed cold storage chamber at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Italy at a constant temperature of -6°C. Visitors can view the mummy through a small window.

Alongside his remains is a new Oetzi model created using 3D images of the corpse and forensic technology by two Dutch artists – Alfons and Adrie Kennis.