8,000 year old mummies uncovered in Portugal could be the oldest ever found

The human remains first found in Sado Valley, Portugal are now thought to be the oldest evidence of mummification, according to a new study, reports Furvah Shah

The discovery provides brand-new insights into the age of the mummies and process of mummification in the Sado Valley, Portugal at the time. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Human remains discovered in Portugal date back 8,000 years and could be the oldest mummies ever found, a new study says.

Archaeologists studied new photographs of the skeletal remains of 13 humans first uncovered in the 1960s in Sado Valley, Portugal and they are thought to be the first known evidence of mummification.

Until now, the 7,000-year-old Chinchorro mummies of northern Chile were thought to be the most ancient known remains, with the mummies of ancient Egypt following at 5,700-years-old.