Recent discoveries in Southeast Asia have unveiled smoke-dried human remains that researchers believe may be the oldest mummies in the world, dating back up to 14,000 years. These remarkable findings suggest that ancient civilizations in southern China and surrounding areas practiced mummification long before the Egyptians, with some mummies found to be nearly 10,000 years older than those of ancient Egypt. The evidence calls into question previously held beliefs about the origins of mummification, highlighting a significant cultural practice in Asia that predates known instances in Egypt by thousands of years.