A papyrus fragment from Homer's Iliad book two was discovered bound to the abdomen of a Roman-era mummy at the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt, containing text from the famous Catalogue of Ships listing Greek forces at Troy. The University of Barcelona's archaeological mission in Oxyrhynchus led the discovery. The finding is exceptionally rare—this is reportedly the first time a Greek literary text has been found in such a context in Egypt. Researchers are using advanced imaging to study and conserve the artifact without unwrapping it.
Homer's Iliad papyrus fragment discovered inside Egyptian mummy at Oxyrhynchus (Egypt)
EgyptEpigraphySignificant Find
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Key facts
- Papyrus fragment from Homer's Iliad book two found inside a Roman-era mummy at Oxyrhynchus (Egypt)
- Fragment contains text corresponding to the famous catalog of ships listing Greek forces at Troy
- Mummies at the site had golden tongues placed inside mouths believed to ensure speech in afterlife
- The mummy was wrapped in linen decorated with geometric patterns with painted wooden coffin
- Finding classical Greek text inside an Egyptian mummy is exceptionally rare
- Artifacts are undergoing conservation and study using advanced imaging and papyrological techniques
Sources
They find the 'Iliad' on the abdomen of a mummy in Egypten.ara.cat
They find the 'Iliad' on the abdomen of a mummy in Egypt. The papyrus was in a Roman-era burial in the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus. Unverified ...
Ancient Egyptian Mummy Found Wrapped In Something Never ...sciencealert.com
The poem dates back some 2,700 years, and this particular fragment was found written on papyrus and deliberately bound to the mummy's abdomen, ...
The UB's archaeological mission in Oxyrhynchus has found Homer's ...web.ub.edu
The papyrus, placed in the mummy's abdomen, contains a catalogue of ships. This is the first time a Greek literary text has been found in a ...
Egyptian mummy unearthed with literary text on abdomen in ... - CNNcnn.com
The mummy is around 1,600 years old. ; The site would have been part of the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus.
Roman cemetery in Egypt reveals golden tongues, mummies, and ...archaeologymag.com
One burial produced a papyrus placed within a mummy. The text contains lines from Book Two of Homer's Iliad, known as the Catalogue of Ships, ...
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