Older mummies

1986/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Giza zientziak

The oldest mummies known so far have been discovered in northern Chile. The age of these mummies is around 8000 years, 3000 older than Egyptians. A group of workers working on the construction of a new canal in the village of Arica have found 96 mummies. Its age ranges from 3670 years to 7810 years, according to carbon 14 dating. The technique of these mummies was much more sophisticated than that of egyptis.

This reflects a complex society. The Indians emptied the corpses and blew them. Then they dried on hot charcoal. The third step was the filling of plants, minerals and feathers. Then the leather was glued to the body and sewn. Finally, she disguised her head and put on a hair wig. As stated above, this sophisticated technique requires a solid muscle structure.

Therefore, with this discovery, theories about the development of South American civilizations are plummeted, placing the somer of the first Indian villages between 1000-500 BC.