Parts of ancient China and Southeast Asia have found preserved human remains through smoke-drying, a technique that may predate Egypt’s well-known mummification custom.
Several ancient tribes in China and Southeast Asia preserved dead bodies by smoke-drying them thousands of years ago. Ancient South America also used this preservation technique, especially in Chile, where human bones were organically mummified by the arid climate of the Atacama coast.
However, remains found in humid areas such as China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia were the focus of the study. The nature of the burial sites and the state of the skeletons that were found made these nations the focus of attention.
