New experimental studies authored by Indonesian and Australian scholars indicate that smoke-dried cadavers of prehistoric cultures in Southeast Asia might be the oldest mummies on Earth. A new, pioneering study released this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences makes a rather exciting announcement. It indicates that these rituals of antiquity might be more than 10,000 years old—older than the oldest known cases of mummification.
The research has uncovered that the ancient peoples’ explosive approach left behind a distinctive way of preserving their dead. They wrapped the bodies up snugly and hung them over a fire that burned day and night. This technique was not limited to saving memories alone. It allowed family members to stay close to their family members during long treatment and recovery processes. Many cultures thought this process allowed the soul of the dead to walk among the living during the daylight hours. Each night, the spirit would come back to its corporeal home.
Insights from the Study
Scientists compared these periods with bone samples from sites in China and Southeast Asia. They were especially interested in areas with high humidity where the smoke-drying technique flourished. They tested these samples in comparison to control samples from ancient burial sites in Japan. Results We found evidence of exposure to low-temperature heat, in keeping with the smoke-drying process.
Hsiao-chun Hung, a principal investigator on the study, said these findings are particularly important.
“The bones are so ancient, and it is remarkable to discover that this tradition is so old, connecting the practices of ancient peoples with those still found in some communities today.” – Hsiao-chun Hung
The study provides clear evidence of how long mummification practices endured. Finally, it highlights what makes them culturally important to ancient civilizations.
Mummification Practices Across Cultures
No other mummification technique has stood the test of time like smoke-dried mummification, as some communities in today’s Indonesia’s Papua region still practice this technique today. This methodology is quite different from the more ubiquitous bandage-wrapped mummies from ancient Egypt. Those mummies are nearly 4,500 years old.
Evidence suggests smoke-drying bodies to have been a widespread practice across parts of Indonesia and Australia. It’s not implausible to suppose that this was the case in other ancient Asian civilizations. The oldest known mummification practices origins belong to ancient Chilean societies. The findings suggest that smoke-dried mummies discovered in China and Southeast Asia are thousands of years older.
The Human Connection
The driving forces behind these practices are rooted in more universal human feelings about loss and memory. Hsiao-chun Hung remarked on the emotional aspect of this tradition:
“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-chun Hung
This relationship of life and death resounds through history, and lives on in modern therapeutic rituals. It is a shocking indictment of how far societies will go to pay respect to those they have killed.