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Researchers Reveal That Southeast Asian Peoples Mummified Their Dead 12,000 Years Ago, Long Before Known Egyptian Practices
Long before Egypt developed its famous embalming technique, Southeast Asian peoples were already using their own methods to preserve bodies as mummies. Now, researchers have identified evidence of mummification dating back 12,000 years, about 7,000 years before the oldest Egyptian mummies.
Smoking Technique
According to a study published on September 15 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hunter-gatherers who lived in southern China, Southeast Asia, and islands like Borneo and Java used specific rituals to preserve the dead.
The bodies were positioned in a crouched manner, bound, and left for months in contact with smoke from low-temperature fires.
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This process caused a slow dehydration of the skin and prevented bone decomposition, prolonging the integrity of the body.
Mummies: Parallels with Other Cultures
This type of mummification, known as smoking, corresponds with traditions of Australian Indigenous peoples and still persists in certain regions of New Guinea.
“It is remarkable that this preservation method has spread over such a vast area and lasted over 12,000 years among different communities,” said archaeologist Hsiao-chun Hung from the Australian National University, in an interview with Science News.
Laboratory Analyses
To reach these conclusions, the team examined skeletons from 95 archaeological sites. Many bones exhibited signs of exposure to fire, such as darkened spots.
Additionally, laboratory tests on 54 individuals showed molecular changes consistent with prolonged heating at low temperatures.
This reinforces that it was not just occasional burns, but a carefully controlled ritual.
Memory of the Dead
The results suggest that the practice of smoking was linked to spiritual beliefs. Preserving the body also meant keeping the memory of ancestors alive.
Hung emphasizes that such customs may have even older origins connected to the first human migrations from Africa about 60,000 years ago.
Global Comparisons
This discovery helps rethink other mummification traditions. The Chinchorro people in Chile developed embalming techniques 7,000 years ago, removing organs and allowing bodies to dry naturally in the desert environment.
On the other hand, Egyptians began more sophisticated practices around 6,300 years ago, using resins and chemical substances to slow down decomposition.
Next Steps in Research
Hung’s team now intends to investigate even older burials, dating back up to 20,000 years. The goal is to verify whether the smoking technique was used in even earlier times.
Therefore, the research not only pushes back the origin of mummification by thousands of years but also broadens the understanding of the cultural and spiritual diversity of ancient peoples.
With information from Revista Galileu.
