BANGKOK: Some ancient societies in China and southeast Asia appear to have smoke-dried their dead, effectively mummifying them thousands of years earlier than their Egyptian counterparts, new research has found.

While the bandagebound bodies of ancient Egypt date back perhaps as far as 4,500 years ago, the oldest previously l
There, the dry air of the Atacama coastline allowedfor natural mummification by drying. But the bodies retrieved by researchers from China and southeast Asia came largely from humid regions.

The scientists were initially intrigued by the contorted positions of skeletons found in burial sites in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The remains appeared to have scorch marks in some places, but in patterns inconsistent with attempts at cremation.-AFP