A study has found that Asia preserved the dead as mummies thousands of years before Egypt. An analysis of more than 50 sets of remains unearthed in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia found traces of long-term low-temperature heat that dried and preserved the bodies. The study is being assessed as the oldest evidence of mummies in human history.
An international research team from the Australian National University (ANU), Peking University in China, and the University of Tokyo in Japan said in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on the 15th (local time) that they "found that in ancient Asia, beginning about 14,000 years ago, bodies were exposed to smoke to remove moisture in a mummification process." The team noted that the find is significant as the oldest mummies in human history.
Humans have long used various mummification techniques around the world to remove moisture and prevent the decay of bodies. Heat, smoking, salt, freeze-drying, and embalming are representative methods. Until now, the places known for the oldest mummification were the Chinchorro culture in northern Chile about 7,000 years ago and ancient Egypt about 4,500 years ago.
From 2017 to 2025, the researchers analyzed 54 sets of remains found at 11 archaeological sites in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Sumatra, Indonesia. All were seated with their legs drawn up. Using specialized scientific instruments such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), they examined internal bone structures and chemical changes.
The analysis found traces in about 84% indicating long exposure to low-temperature heat that naturally dried and preserved the bodies. Some discolored bones were estimated to have been stained by smoke rather than directly burned. Based on this, the team explained that ancient Asians likely placed bodies in a crouched position over a fire and dried and preserved them with low-temperature smoking for months before interring them in graves inside pit houses or natural caves.
The study shows that funerary customs aimed at artificially preserving bodies existed long ago across both East and West. In particular, it is assessed as an important achievement that confirms a tradition of mummification spanning more than 10,000 years in Southeast Asia and southern China.
Hsiao-chun Hung of ANU, who led the research, said, "This tradition shows an instinct that has continued since very long ago," adding, "It reflects the desire for family and loved ones to remain together forever in some form."
The funeral custom of making mummies through smoking is also seen today in Papua New Guinea. Hung said, "Surprisingly, this practice has persisted over an astonishing span from the Late Paleolithic to the present across a vast region." The team interpreted smoke-drying the body into a mummy as likely the best choice for preserving the dead in humid environments.
Emma L. Baysal of Bilkent University in Ankara, Türkiye, said, "This study is impressive in that it scientifically analyzes body treatment methods to reveal funeral practices that are rarely seen today," adding, "It may reflect complex beliefs about the afterlife at the time."
The researchers expect that future studies could find similar traces of smoked mummification in other parts of Asia. Such discoveries are likely to serve as important clues showing that humanity has maintained funerary customs to preserve the dead for thousands of years.
References
PNAS (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2515103122