World’s Oldest Mummies May Be 12,000 Years Old, Discovered in Southeast Asia

A new study suggests smoke-dried mummification began 5,000 years earlier than previously thought.

A groundbreaking study has uncovered evidence that the world’s oldest known mummies—dating back as far as 12,000 years—originated in southern China and Southeast Asia, challenging long-held beliefs that South America’s Chinchorro culture pioneered intentional mummification.

Published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research analyzed 54 individuals from 69 burials across sites in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Using advanced X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scientists detected subtle heat damage and soot traces on skeletal remains, evidence that prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities used low-temperature smoke-drying to preserve their dead.

“Smoke-drying allowed people to sustain physical and spiritual connections with their ancestors, bridging time and memory,” said lead author Hirofumi Matsumura of Sapporo Medical University, Japan.

Rituals Older Than the Chinchorro Tradition

Until now, the earliest deliberate mummification was attributed to the Chinchorro culture of Chile and Peru, dating to around 7,000 years ago. This new study pushes that timeline back by another 5,000 years, suggesting complex funerary rituals developed much earlier and in multiple regions.

The burials examined show individuals interred in tight crouched or squatting positions, with some bones bearing cut marks or signs of pre-burial preparation. Researchers argue these communities deliberately dried bodies over slow fires, preventing decomposition even in humid climates.

Scholarly Caution

Despite the striking findings, experts urge careful interpretation. Rita Peyroteo Stjerna, a human evolution specialist at Uppsala University not involved in the research, noted that while the evidence is compelling, “dating methods could have been more robust”, and it remains unclear whether all sites practiced smoke-drying consistently.

Additionally, no preserved soft tissue has been found, meaning the term “mummy” here refers primarily to the intentional treatment of remains, rather than naturally or chemically embalmed bodies like those seen in Egypt.

A Tradition That Survives

The researchers emphasize that smoke-drying is not just an ancient phenomenon. Indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea and parts of Australia still practice similar rituals, demonstrating a cultural continuity that spans millennia.

“These findings reshape our understanding of mortuary practices and demonstrate that ancestor veneration through body preservation is among humanity’s oldest shared traditions,” Matsumura added.

Cover Image Credit: Examples of smoked mummies kept in private households in Papua, Indonesia, photographed in January 2019. (A) A Dani hyper-flexed mummy; (B) A flexed mummy from Pumo Village. Both locations are in Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua.

Earliest evidence of smoke-dried mummification: More than 10,000 years ago in southern China and Southeast Asia. Authors: Matsumura et al.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), September 2025. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2515103122