World’s Oldest Mummies: 8,000-Year-Old Human Skeletons from Portugal

The world’s oldest mummies are not found in Egypt or Chile, but in Portugal. A team of archaeologists from Uppsala University in Sweden and the University of Lisbon in Portugal have found evidence that humans in Portugal were practicing mummification as early as 8,000 years ago.

The discovery was made in the Sado Valley, a region in southern Portugal. The archaeologists were excavating a Mesolithic burial site when they found the remains of 13 skeletons. The skeletons were remarkably well-preserved, and some of them showed signs of mummification.

The skeletons from the Sado Valley provide a unique glimpse into the early practice of mummification in Europe. The skeletons show that the people who