A 1,600-year-old mummy from Egypt has turned up something no archaeologist expected: a piece of Homer's Iliad, tucked inside the wrappings as part of the embalming process.
Researchers at the ancient site of Oxyrhynchus, in modern-day Al Bahnasa, Egypt, found the papyrus resting on the mummy's abdomen. It is the first known case of a Greek literary work being intentionally placed inside a mummy during mummification.
A Literary Papyrus, Not a Magical One
Excavations at Tomb 65 in Sector 22 took place between November and December 2025. A team led by Núria Castellano uncovered the Roman-era mummy and spotted the papyrus deliberately positioned on its abdomen.
The Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission, directed by Maite Mascort and Esther Pons through the University of Barcelona's Institute of Ancient Near East Studies, had found Greek papyri in similar placements before. But those earlier texts were always magical or ritual in nature. This one was different: it contained literature.
Experts Identify the 'Catalogue of Ships'
During a second research campaign in January and February 2026, conservator Margalida Munar, papyrologist Leah Mascia, and professor Ignasi-Xavier Adiego examined the fragile document. Adiego, a classical philologist and director of the Oxyrhynchus project, used Mascia's reading to identify the fragment.
The text comes from Book II of Homer's Iliad, specifically the "Catalogue of Ships" section. That passage lists the Greek forces preparing for the Trojan War and is one of the best-known parts of the epic.
Adiego noted that while many Greek papyri have been found at Oxyrhynchus since the late 19th century, including important literary texts, none had ever appeared in a funerary context. The novelty here is finding a literary papyrus inside a mummy.
Why Local People Cared
Oxyrhynchus, located about 160 kilometers southwest of Cairo, was a major center during the Greco-Roman period. The site has yielded thousands of papyri over the past century, shedding light on daily life, administration, and culture in ancient Egypt. For local residents and historians alike, this discovery adds a new layer to that story. It shows that Greek literature held such value that embalmers chose to include it in burial rituals, alongside magical texts.
The find deepens understanding of how ancient Egyptians blended Greek cultural elements into their own traditions during the Roman era. It also raises questions about what other literary works might be hidden inside mummies yet to be studied.
This discovery does not rewrite history, but it adds a specific, tangible detail to the record. A fragment of Homer, one of the oldest works of Western literature, was placed inside a body prepared for the afterlife in Egypt 1,600 years ago. That fact now sits alongside the known evidence of how people in that time and place treated their dead.
