Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 3 months ago
Transcript
00:00Archaeologists have unearthed what they say may be the oldest known mummies on the planet, according to a new study.
00:09Researchers say the smoke-dried corpses discovered in Southeast Asia may be around 12,000 years,
00:15which predate the previously oldest known mummies found in Peru and Chile by about 5,000 years.
00:22Scientists say the mummified bodies were found in squatted and crouched positions across Vietnam and China,
00:28as well as other Southeastern Asian countries.
00:32The lead author of the study tells the Associated Press the preservation of the bodies through mummification
00:37allowed people to sustain physical and spiritual connections with their ancestors, bridging time and memory.
00:44Researchers say the discovery may mean mummification was more prevalent than previously known across Asian hunter-gatherer societies
00:52and could lead to a deeper understanding of ancient funerary practices.
00:57Egyptian mummies are perhaps the most famous, but scientists note the mummification process
01:02is still performed in native communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea, where corpses are also smoke-dried.
01:09For more on this story, download the Straight Outta News app or visit san.com.
01:13Andrew
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended