Egypt-Spain Mission Finds Iliad Fragment in 1,600-Year-Old Mummy at 16-Mummy Roman Tomb
Updated
Updated · en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br · May 15
Egypt-Spain Mission Finds Iliad Fragment in 1,600-Year-Old Mummy at 16-Mummy Roman Tomb
5 articles · Updated · en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br · May 15
A papyrus fragment from Book II of Homer’s Iliad was found sewn into the abdomen of a roughly 1,600-year-old mummy at Al-Bahnasa, making it the first known Greek literary text used in a funerary context.
The find came from a Roman tomb holding 16 mummies with golden tongues, elite burial markers in Greco-Roman Egypt, and scholars identified the passage as the Catalogue of Ships.
Researchers say papyri previously recovered from mummies were typically magical or ritual texts, so a secular epic poem in this setting is unprecedented and could reshape understanding of funerary practices in late Roman Egypt.
Possible explanations include the papyrus serving as an embalmer’s mark, a protective text, or a sign of pagan cultural identity as Christianity spread; another 24 tombs in the necropolis remain unopened.
What does this 'Iliad' amulet reveal about the collision of cultures in Roman Egypt?
Was the discovered 'Iliad' fragment a sacred amulet or just ancient trash used as filler?
First-Ever Literary Papyrus in Roman-Era Mummy: The Iliad Fragment from Oxyrhynchus and Its Impact on Understanding Ancient Egyptian Funerary Traditions
Overview
In late 2025, archaeologists from the UB’s Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission made a remarkable discovery at the ancient Egyptian site of Oxyrhynchus. During their excavation, they uncovered a funerary complex with three limestone chambers containing Roman-era mummies and decorated wooden sarcophagi, many damaged by earlier looting. The most extraordinary find was a papyrus fragment from Homer’s Iliad, placed on the abdomen of a mummy in Tomb 65, Sector 22. This is the first known case of a Greek literary text being deliberately included in the mummification process, revealing a unique cultural practice in Roman Egypt.