Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a mummy containing a fragment of Homer’s *Iliad*

An international team of archaeologists from Spain and Egypt has made a unique discovery in the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus: a mummy containing a fragment of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem, *The Iliad*. 

This was reported by international media citing research findings, according to EuroNews.

The artifact was found during excavations in Al-Bahna, approximately 190 kilometers south of Cairo. The work was carried out in the so-called “Tomb 65”—a hypogeum that, despite having been looted in the past, has preserved a significant number of funerary objects.

During the research, archaeologists documented several mummies with bandages decorated with geometric patterns and bright colors. Polychrome wooden sarcophagi and a small number of metal artifacts were also discovered.

The most unexpected find was a papyrus discovered inside one of the mummies. It contains lines from the second song of the “Iliad,” specifically a fragment of the so-called “catalog of ships”—a list of Greek military units that set out for Troy.

Experts note that papyri are found quite frequently in Oxyrhynchus, but this is the first known instance in which a literary work in Greek was used as part of a funeral rite. “Papyri are often found in Oxyrhynchus, but this is the first known instance where a literary work in Greek was used as part of a funeral rite,” the researchers note.

According to one theory, this fragment may have been reused to wrap a mummy—a practice that was common in ancient times, when unwanted texts were used in funeral rituals.

Scientists date the find to the Greco-Roman period, when Egypt was under significant cultural influence from Greek and, later, Roman civilizations.