A papyrus found within the wrappings of an ancient Egyptian mummy contains a passage from Book 2 of The Iliad that lists the Greek ships sent out to fight in the Trojan War.
Ignasi-Xavier Adiego/University of BarcelonaThe newly-found papyrus containing text from The Iliad, Homer’s epic poem about the Trojan War.
In late 2025, scholars with the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission uncovered a trove of mummies in an ancient funerary complex near the Egyptian city of Al-Bahnasa. Some of the remains featured intricate wrappings and sarcophagi decorated in gold foil, but one mummy was hiding something even more remarkable: a papyrus fragment containing a passage from Homer’s The Iliad.
While papyri listing magical spells or rituals have been found with ancient mummies before, this is the first time in history that a Greek literary text has been discovered beneath the wrappings of an Egyptian corpse. While the meaning of The Iliad passage in this context remains unclear, this rare find is revealing new information about the evolution of the mummification process during Egypt’s Greek and Roman eras.
Finding A Papyrus Of Homer’s The Iliad On A 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy
Since 1992, experts from the Institute of Ancient Near East Studies at the University of Barcelona have been exploring Egypt’s ancient history via the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission. In late 2025, archaeologists with the project began examining a series of tombs at the Al-Bahnasa necropolis, where the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus once stood.
Their excavations uncovered three limestone chambers containing mummies from Egypt’s Roman era, which began in 30 B.C.E., following Octavian’s defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, and lasted until around 642 C.E.
Within the tombs, archaeologists found wrappings adorned with elaborate geometric designs, as well as gold tongues that were placed in the mouths of the dead. As Maite Mascort, one of the project’s directors, explained to the Catalan newspaper Diari ARA, “[Embalmers] would place this piece on top of the tongue, because gold is incorruptible, and thus protect it, making it easier for the deceased to speak and deny having committed a series of sins during the judgment of Osiris.”
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesA view of the Al-Bahnasa necropolis where the mummies were unearthed in late 2025.
But one mummy dating back 1,600 years held something even more peculiar. Sealed in clay within its linen wrappings was a papyrus containing text from Homer’s The Iliad, the seventh-century B.C.E. epic poem detailing the Trojan War and the heroic exploits of Achilles as well as the use of the famed Trojan Horse. The newly-found passage is from Book 2 of Homer’s poem and includes a list of the ships that the Greeks sent to fight against Troy.
According to Ignasi-Xavier Adiego, a University of Barcelona professor who helps lead the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission, “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.”
Adiego continued, “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.”
So, why was part of The Iliad entombed with this mummy?
How Greeks And Romans Changed The Ancient Egyptian Mummification Process
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesSome of the Egyptian mummies uncovered at the Oxyrhynchus necropolis.
Traditionally, ancient Egyptians mummified their dead by removing their organs and placing them in canopic jars. However, when the Greeks and Romans took control of the region, they made some alterations to this process.
During Egypt’s Roman era, most of the organs were left inside the deceased, and their chest and abdominal cavities were instead packed with preservatives. Papyri with magical spells were then sealed in clay and placed either within the abdomen or among the wrappings.
The discovery of The Iliad in the wrappings of this mummy at the Al-Bahnasa necropolis provides additional insight into these evolving funerary practices. However, it’s still unclear if Homer’s famous poem was placed there intentionally.
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesThe passage from The Iliad was found within the wrappings of this ancient mummy buried at the Al-Bahnasa necropolis.
As Mascort told Diari ARA, “A manuscript of the Iliad was used to write the magical texts that used to accompany the deceased.” That is, a papyrus that happened to contain the epic poem may have simply been recycled so that the traditional spells could be rewritten on the sheet.
The truth may become clearer as analysis of the mummies continues. “Many other papyri are still undergoing restoration,” said Mascort, “and we cannot rule out that some other literary text may appear.”
In the end, whether The Iliad was entombed with the mummy intentionally or coincidentally, the presence of this Greek poem speaks to the history-changing blending of cultures that was taking place in Egypt 1,600 years ago.
After reading about the passage from The Iliad that was found on an Egyptian mummy, go inside the stories of nine famous mummies from history. Then, learn about Egyptomania, the Western world’s fascination with ancient Egypt.
