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Southeast Asia May Hold Key to World’s Oldest Mummies
Scientists believe they have discovered the world’s oldest mummies in southeastern Asia, dating back an astounding 12,000 years. While mummification, the preservation of bodies by preventing decay, can occur naturally in arid deserts or peat bogs, it has also been a deliberate practice across numerous cultures for millennia. The most famous examples are perhaps the Egyptian mummies, but until recently, the oldest intentionally created mummies were those of the Chinchorro people of South America, dating back roughly 7,000 years.
This new research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, significantly alters our understanding of mummification’s history. Researchers examined human remains from various archaeological sites across China and Vietnam, with additional samples from the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
The bodies, found buried in crouched positions, often displayed cut and burn marks. Further analysis revealed evidence of heat exposure, suggesting the bodies were smoke-dried over fire, a mummification technique practiced by the region’s hunter-gatherer communities.
According to study author Hirofumi Matsumura of Sapporo Medical University, this practice likely held deep spiritual significance, allowing communities to maintain connections with their ancestors. Hsiao-chun Hung, a senior research fellow at Australian National University, echoed this sentiment, expressing surprise at the findings and emphasizing the remarkable link between ancient traditions and practices still observed in some communities today. This ancient form of mummification may have facilitated ongoing interaction with the deceased, with some believing it allowed spirits to roam freely by day and return to their bodies at night.
While the research suggests that smoke-drying mummification may have been widespread across ancient Asian civilizations, some experts, like Rita Peyroteo Stjerna of Uppsala University, suggest the dating methods could be strengthened and further investigation is needed to confirm the consistent use of smoke-drying across all the sites. Nevertheless, this discovery offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of prehistoric funerary practices.
Remarkably, mummification isn’t entirely a relic of the past. Some Indigenous communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea continue the tradition of smoke-drying their deceased, demonstrating the enduring power of ancient rituals.