Archaeologists claim they've found the oldest evidence of deliberate human mummification from a series of burial sites across southern China and South-East Asia.

The researchers, who published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science , examined 54 human burials, ranging from 4,000 to 14,000 years old, and found many show evidence of being heated to low temperatures.

This is consistent, according to the researchers, with being smoked over a fire.

The oldest individual came from northern Vietnam, and was carbon-dated to 14,000 years old.

Previously, the oldest evidence of mummification was the 7,000-year-old Chinchorro mummies in Chile, while the oldest Egyptian mummies date to roughly 4,500 years old.

Hsiao-chun Hung, lead author of the study and a researc

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