Archaeologists discover Homer's Iliad fragment inside Egyptian mummy at Oxyrhynchus necropolis

Archaeologists from the University of Barcelona have made an unprecedented discovery in Egypt's Minya province. During excavations at the Oxyrhynchus necropolis on the Nile's west bank, they found a Roman-era mummy containing a papyrus fragment from Homer's Iliad within its abdominal cavity. This marks the first time a Greek literary text has been incorporated into ancient Egyptian embalming practices. The fragment comes from Book II's "Catalogue of Ships," listing vessels that sailed to Troy. The discovery suggests cultural hybridization during Egypt's Ptolemaic-Roman transition period, with Greek epic poetry possibly symbolizing a victorious journey to the afterlife. The same site yielded other rare artifacts including painted wooden coffins, shrouds with geometric patterns, and gold tongues placed in mouths to enable speech in the afterlife. Three limestone burial chambers contained ceramic vessels holding cremated human remains—an unusual practice for ancient Egypt—alongside infant bones and carefully wrapped feline skulls. Additional finds included terracotta and bronze figurines depicting Harpocrates (child Horus) on horseback and Cupid, the Roman love god. These diverse elements collectively reveal a sophisticated blending of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultural traditions at this funerary complex. The excavation was led by Maite Mascort and Esther Pons Mellado from the University of Barcelona.