Archaeologists Find Iliad Papyrus In Egyptian Mummy

Archaeologists working at the ancient site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt’s Minya Governorate have uncovered a Roman-era burial that combines rare funerary objects with an unexpected literary find: a papyrus fragment from Homer’s Iliad concealed inside a mummy. The fragment reserves lines from Book II of the Iliad, specifically the "Catalogue of Ships", a long passage listing the Greek forces that sailed to Troy.

In 2025, a Spanish-Egyptian excavation team working at the ancient site of Oxyrhynchus (modern-day El-Bahnasa) uncovered a Roman-era necropolis containing mummies adorned with golden tongue amulets.

The discovery was announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, highlighting it as one of the most significant recent finds in Middle Egypt. The excavation was led by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Institute of the Ancient Near East, under the direction of Dr. Maite Mascort and Dr. Esther Pons Mellado.

The newly uncovered tomb complex dates to the Roman period and lies east of a previously identified Ptolemaic tomb known as Tomb 67. Archaeologists opened a trench revealing three limestone burial chambers, now largely deteriorated due to age and ancient looting.

Inside these chambers, researchers found unusual burial practices. Large ceramic vessels contained cremated human remains—an uncommon feature in Egyptian archaeology—alongside bones of infants and even feline skulls, all wrapped carefully in textiles. This suggests a ritual blending cremation with traditional burial customs, offering new insights into evolving funerary practices during the transition from the Ptolemaic to Roman eras.

Professor Adiego explains, "This is not the first time we have found Greek papyri, bundled, sealed, and incorporated into the mummification process, but until now, their content was mainly magical. Furthermore, it is worth noting that since the late 19th century, a huge number of papyri have been discovered at Oxyrhynchus, including Greek literary texts of great importance, but the real novelty is finding a literary papyrus in a funerary context."