10,000-year-old mummies discovered in Asia, older than previously known

Photo shows a mummy of a middle-aged man from over 9,000 years ago found at an archaeological site in southern China - Kyodo/researchers

SAPPORO, Japan: Human bones discovered across southern China and South-East Asia were intentionally smoke-dried over fire, with some dating back more than 10,000 years, predating the mummification practices of a culture long thought to be the world's earliest, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Researchers analysed remains from 54 pre-Neolithic burials at 11 sites in China, Vietnam and Indonesia, dating from 3,600 to 11,000 years ago, some predating the mummification of the Chinchorro culture in northern Chile around 7,000 years ago and that of ancient Egypt.