Cairo — Archaeologists have uncovered a rare papyrus fragment of The Iliad by Homer embedded inside a Roman-era Egyptian mummy, marking an unprecedented discovery in funerary archaeology, according to research led by the University of Barcelona .
The fragment, dating back nearly 1,600 years, was found within the abdomen of a mummy in the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus (modern-day Al-Bahnasa). Researchers noted that while Greek papyri have previously been identified in mummification contexts, they typically contained ritualistic or magical texts—making this the first confirmed instance of a literary work used in the embalming process .
The text is believed to originate from Book II of The Iliad, specifically the “Catalogue of Ships,” a section detailing Greek forces during the Trojan War. The discovery sheds new light on the cultural fusion of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman traditions during the period, particularly in burial practices.
The Middle East Observer notes that the finding highlights the intellectual and cultural exchanges that characterized Greco-Roman Egypt, where classical literature intersected with local religious traditions. The Middle East Observer further observes that the discovery may reshape scholarly understanding of funerary symbolism and the role of literary texts in ancient belief systems.
