The oldest human mummies in the world were created through a unique process of smoke-drying corpses over 10,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and China. This practice predates the more well-known mummification techniques used in Chile and Egypt.A recent study published in PNAS revealed that many ancient skeletons found in China, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were treated with an extended period of smoke-drying before being buried.
According to Hsiao-chun Hung, a senior research fellow at the Australian National University and lead author of the study, smoking likely had spiritual or cultural meaning beyond just preserving bodies.The researchers used X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy to analyze bones from these ancient burials and found evidence of low-intensity heating and discoloration from soot. This suggests that a specialized mortuary practice involving smoking was widely practiced by pre-farming communities across southern China and southeast Asia.
The researchers also observed modern-day Dani and Pumo people in Papua (Indonesia) creating mummies by tightly binding corpses, setting them over a fire, and smoking them until they turned black. This supports their conclusion that ancient individuals were tightly bound after death for long periods over low-temperature fires.
While these ancient individuals are only bones with no skin, soft tissue or hair preserved, they are still considered mummies because they were deliberately preserved through smoke-drying. This practice was likely the most effective way to preserve bodies in the hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia.
The revelation of these smoked mummies also supports a “two-layer” model of early migration into southeast Asia. This theory suggests that ancient hunter-gatherers arrived as early as 65,000 years ago and were distinct from later Neolithic farmers who did not arrive until 4,000 years ago. The ancient hunter-gatherers who used smoked burial practices may have given rise to modern-day populations such as the Dani and Pumo people.
Ivy Hui-Yuan Yeh,a biological anthropologist at Nanyang Technological University,believes that this study supports the two-layer model and is consistent with patterns of early human migration in Asia.
The researchers also suggest that smoking bodies for preservation may have originated earlier than previously thought and could potentially date back to the expansion of Homo sapiens from Africa into Southeast Asia around 42,000 years ago. This showcases a deep cultural continuity among these ancient populations.
Fascinating discovery that challenges conventional beliefs on the history of mummification!