Archeologists have unearthed what they say may be the oldest known mummies in the world, dating back to around 12,000 years ago. According to a study published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the human remains were found in southeastern Asia.
Thousands of years older than previous find
The findings indicate that mummification practices predated the previously oldest known mummies by the Chinchorro people some 7,000 years ago in modern day Peru and Chile.
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Scientists say they discovered the mummified bodies buried in crouched or squatted positions and found evidence that the remains had been smoke-dried by hunter-gatherer communities. The remains were found across China and Vietnam as well as parts of the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia and Indonesia.
‘Bridging time and memory’
The author of the study told The Associated Press in an email that mummification “allowed people to sustain physical and spiritual connections with their ancestors, bridging time and memory.”
Researchers believe the preservation of bodies through mummification may have been more prevalent in Asian cultures and the reason may be similar to why modern societies honor loved ones that have passed on.
“I believe this reflects something deeply human– the timeless wish that our loved ones might never leave us, but remain by our side forever,” Hsiao Hung, a senior research fellow at Australian National University, told Agence France-Presse.
Better understanding of ancient funerary practices
The authors of the study wrote that the new discovery shows the mummification “tradition may have been known among hunter-gatherer societies across a vast region.”
Scientists assert that the findings are important to better understand ancient funerary practices and could lead to more understanding of prehistoric cultures.
Egyptian mummification is perhaps the most famous but scientists note that the practice is still performed in native communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea who also smoke-dry and mummify the corpses.
