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The Oldest Mummies in the World May Hail From Southeastern Asia and Date Back 12,000 Years

Researchers examined 54 burials from 11 sites showing sustained smoke exposure, indicating a complex mummification practice lasting up to 12,000 years among hunter-gatherer communities.

  • Scientists have discovered what are thought to be the oldest known mummies in the world in southeastern Asia dating back up to 12,000 years.
  • The mummies were likely exposed to heat through smoking over low-temperature fires, a practice still carried out by some Indigenous communities today.
  • The findings offer an important contribution to the study of prehistoric funerary practices and may support a "two-layer" model of early migration into Southeast Asia.
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18 Articles

In Southeast Asia, people seem to have dried their dead over fire 12 000 years ago in order to preserve them. Did the first modern people already bring this mummification practice with them?

·Munich, Germany
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Associated Press NewsAssociated Press News
+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
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The oldest mummies in the world may hail from southeastern Asia and date back 12,000 years

Scientists have discovered what's thought to be the oldest mummies in the world in southeastern Asia. Mummification prevents decay by preserving dead bodies.

·United States
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Nature broke the news in United Kingdom on Monday, September 15, 2025.
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