Scientists have uncovered what are believed to be the world’s oldest known mummies in Southeast Asia, dating back as far as 12,000 years, according to new research on Monday.

The study, published in the journal PNAS, said that researchers uncovered human remains buried in crouched or squatting positions, some bearing cut and burn marks, at archaeological sites across China and Vietnam, with smaller numbers found in the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The remains discovered in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia were preserved through prolonged exposure to low heat, despite lacking visible signs typically associated with mummification.

Further analysis of the bones revealed the bodies were likely exposed to heat, indicating that hunter-gatherer communities in the region smoke-dried and mummified the remains over a fire.

“Some of the analyzed archaeological samples represent the oldest known instances of such artificial mummification in the world,” the study said.

The study employed multiple techniques, including X-ray diffraction, used for identifying mineral composition, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, which analyzes chemical bonds, to analyze 54 pre-Neolithic burials from 11 archaeological sites across Southeast Asia.

While Egypt’s mummies are the most famous, some of the oldest previously known were created around 7,000 years ago by the Chinchorro, a fishing people who lived in what is now Peru and Chile. (PNA)