Ancient Egyptian Mummy Found Interred with Rare Homeric Papyrus Fragment

Researchers from the University of Barcelona have uncovered a 1,600-year-old papyrus fragment featuring text from Homer’s Iliad inside an ancient Egyptian mummy. The discovery occurred at the Al Bahnasa necropolis, a site historically identified as the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus, located approximately 190 kilometers south of Cairo. During the excavation of a Roman-era funerary complex, the team identified the artifact placed intentionally on the abdomen of the deceased as part of the formal mummification process. This marks the first known instance of a Greek literary text being incorporated directly into the ritual burial practices of an Egyptian individual.

The recovered papyrus contains a passage from Book II of the Iliad, specifically the catalog of ships detailing the Greek forces preparing for the Trojan War. A specialized team of papyrologists and philologists confirmed the origin of the text after analyzing the fragment, which was found within a tomb that had suffered from historical looting. The Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission, led by Professor Josep Padró, has conducted extensive work in the region since 1992, consistently uncovering significant Greco-Roman artifacts. This rare find provides new insight into the cultural intersection between Greek literature and Egyptian funerary traditions during the Roman period.