
Ancient Mummification Found: Older Than Egyptian Practices!
Okay, so I stumbled upon something pretty wild. It turns out that mummification, which we usually associate with ancient Egyptians, might be way older than we thought! Researchers are suggesting that people in Southeast Asia were doing something similar thousands of years earlier. How mind-blowing is that?
Between 20,000 and 4,000 years ago, these hunter-gatherer communities weren't just burying their dead in these super-cramped, squatting positions. They were also drying the bodies out over a fire. Can you imagine? It's a practice that reminds me of other cultures around the world who did similar things, trying to preserve their loved ones. What I find interesting is that this isn't exactly the kind of news you hear every day. It really challenges what we think we know about ancient civilizations.
The research team scrutinized 54 pre-Neolithic burials from 11 sites in Southeast Asia, all dating back 12,000 to 4,000 years. Apparently, these flexed and squatting burials involved smoke-drying the bodies over fire, a mummification technique similar to those observed in some Australian and Highland New Guinea societies. If they're correct, these are the oldest instances of artificial mummification known to humankind. How cool is that?
Initially, archeologists thought these crouched burials were "primary burials," which is just a fancy way of saying a complete body was buried in one go. However, one of the researchers, Hsiao-chun Hung, noticed some weird stuff. Like, the skeletons were arranged in ways that just didn't make sense, and some bones showed burning, especially in areas with less flesh. That made her think, "Hey, could these be like those smoked mummies from Papua New Guinea?"
They didn't find obvious burning evidence, so they used lab techniques to check for tiny changes in bone structure from high heat exposure. And guess what? Almost all the remains seemed to have been exposed to low heat for quite a while, suggesting they were smoked. Think about it: this seemingly simple act of preserving the dead actually reveals a ton about their culture and beliefs.
The researchers suggest that Southeastern Asia's hunter-gatherers' genetics and features have been linked to Indigenous groups in New Guinea and Australia. That suggests the practice of this funerary tradition may have spread throughout those regions. The fact it endured for thousands of years is remarkable, telling us about the shared cultural heritage of these ancient peoples. It's fascinating how something like mummification can connect different cultures across vast distances and time periods. It makes you wonder what other secrets are still waiting to be uncovered!
2 Images of Ancient Mummification:


Source: Gizmodo