It's the Oldest Evidence Yet of Human Mummification

Ten thousand years before ancient Egyptians began mummifying their dead, hunter-gatherers in Asia were smoke-drying the bodies of loved ones, a discovery that is rewriting the history of human mummification. Scientists have uncovered what they believe to be the oldest evidence of human mummification—specifically, smoke-dried mummies—in parts of ancient Asia dating back as far as 14,000 years. A study, published Monday in PNAS, analyzed dozens of burials from across the region, per NBC News. Several skeletons, partially charred and tightly folded into squatting positions, appear to have been prepared for burial by exposure to low heat and smoke, a mummification method used by some modern indigenous groups in Papua New Guinea, per CNN.

Researchers used imaging techniques to examine the bones' structure, revealing heat exposure that wasn't visible to the naked eye. About 84% of the samples showed signs consistent with prolonged, low-temperature heating, suggesting deliberate preservation efforts. The oldest example, a charred arm bone from northern Vietnam, dates to around 14,000 years ago, pushing back the start of mummification practices by thousands of years compared to known cases in Egypt, Chile, and Peru. Mummies produced by the Chinchorro culture, which occupied northern Chile and southern Peru, are up to 7,000 years old, meaning Vietnam's example is twice as old.

The tightly flexed burial posture, typical of pre-Neolithic periods in southern China and Southeast Asia, had long puzzled scientists. The study's authors now suggest these extreme positions were likely only possible once there was no more soft tissue on the bodies, per CNN. These preparations would have required significant care and time, hinting at complex traditions and beliefs about death among early hunter-gatherers. The findings broaden our understanding of ancient mortuary practices and suggest the desire to preserve the dead may have been a widespread human impulse. Researchers say further studies could reveal whether these practices spread with ancient migrations or developed independently in different regions.