The process of mummification or preservation of corpses was carried out by various civilizations in the past, including in Europe. In fact, the human body mummified in Portugal is thought to be the oldest mummy in the world so far.
Researchers studied photographs of 13 human skeletons unearthed in the 1960s in the Sado Valley area of Portugal. They reconstructed the position of the corpse when it was buried to study the rituals of its time.
Some of the bodies were buried in a flexed position, with the feet placed in front of the chest. Some of these bodies are thought to have been mummified before burial.
Its age is estimated at 8,000 years, making it the oldest mummification practice in the world. Previously, the title was carried by the Chinchorro mummy found in Chile, whose age is estimated at 7,000 years.
The oldest mummies from ancient Egypt are around 5,700 years old. Thus, the mummy of the Sado Valley is the oldest although when it was found, the mummified remains were completely lost because the remains remained in skeletal form.
As quoted by us from the Daily Mail, Tuesday (8/3/2022) technically, mummies are actually human or animal bodies whose layers of flesh or organs are still preserved. However, the longest surviving in that form is 4,000 years.
The study, carried out by academics from Uppsala University and Linnaeus University in Sweden and the University of Lisbon in Portugal, analyzed photography of the mummy, which had disappeared.
"Several years ago, three rolls of film from the excavation resurfaced. Previously, the photos had been lost so that the documentation was incomplete. The rediscovery of the photos is a good opportunity to increase knowledge about the ritual that took place," the researchers said.
Through a complicated research process, it can be concluded that there are bodies that have gone through the mummification process even though they are only skeletons. With an estimated age of 8,000 years, this mummy is also considered the oldest mummy.