Homeric Epic Found Inside a Roman-Era Egyptian Mummy

On 18 April 2026, archaeologists from the University of Barcelona and the Institute of Ancient Near East opened a Roman tomb at Al-Bahnasa (ancient Oxyrhynchus) and uncovered a 1,600-year-old mummy with a papyrus fragment of the Iliad’s Catalogue of Ships sewn into its abdomen. Researchers describe it as the first known instance of a Greek literary text incorporated into a funerary context.

Archaeologists open a Roman tomb in Al-Bahnasa with gold-tongued mummies and discover inside one of the mummies the first Greek literary text ever found in funerary practice.HyperallergicNew York Times

Roman Egypt blended Greek culture with Egyptian religion. Tombs commonly contain magical papyri, gold-tongued mummies, and amulets. While Homeric verses were widely taught in schools and appeared in magical texts, they had never before been found as a burial object.

Hyperallergic

The excavation was directed by Ignasi-Xavier Adiego (University of Barcelona) with papyrologist Leah Mascia, conservator Margalida Munar, and Egyptologists Maite Mascort and Esther Ponce Milado. Foy Scalf of the University of Chicago provided expert commentary.

New York Times

The papyrus dates to the late 5th century CE. The tomb held 52 mummies, 13 of which possessed gold tongues, bringing the site’s total to 16 gold-tongued individuals recorded in January 2026. Over the past five years the team documented 15 additional papyri, most of which are Greco-Egyptian magical texts.

Hyperallergic

The artifact shows that a secular Greek epic could serve a protective or identity-affirming role in the afterlife, expanding the known repertoire of Greco-Roman funerary practices. It also provides a new textual witness for the Iliad’s Catalogue of Ships, potentially informing critical editions of the poem.

Archaeologists open a Roman tomb in Al-Bahnasa with gold-tongued mummies and discover inside one of the mummies the first Greek literary text ever found in funerary practice.

The University of Barcelona announced that the find “rewrites our understanding of Greco-Roman burial customs.” Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities confirmed that the mummy will remain sealed and that only non-destructive analytical techniques were employed.

New York Times

Roberta Mazza (University of Bologna) cautioned that earlier reports overstated the “first-time” claim, noting a 19th-century Fayum mummy with a similar Iliad fragment. She warned that sensationalism can shape funding narratives.

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The papyrus was folded and sewn onto the abdomen, positioned alongside a gold tongue intended to enable speech with Osiris. The fragment’s fragile state required stabilisation before analysis.

New York Times

Initial media suggested the papyrus lay inside the body; the University of Hamburg later clarified it rested on the torso in a fragmentary state. The identity of the deceased remains unknown.

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• “The find is incredibly significant, primarily for the discovery of such a papyrus with Greek literary text in its original context,” — Foy Scalf, Egyptologist, University of Chicago

New York Times

• “We have evidence that such Greek literary texts could be used as magical amulets and that Homer was frequently cited in such amulets, as well as in the large handbooks now known as ‘The Greco-Egyptian Formularies.’ The new find directly supports that indirect knowledge.” — Foy Scalf

New York Times

• “Homer was used as one of the texts that people were taught to read Greek with, so it had canonical status and was read by basically every person literate in Greek,” — Celsiana Warwick, University of Iowa

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• “There was an apocryphal tradition of reciting Homer to heal animals and people,” — Joel Christensen, Provost, CUNY Graduate Center

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• “These were folded papyri placed on top of deceased individuals (some of them were placed under their arms), which were nevertheless in a very fragmentary state,” — Leah Mascia, Papyrologist

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• “the necessity to publicize finds to attract economic support had a definite impact on the construction of discovery narratives.” — Roberta Mazza, University of Bologna

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The team will host public lectures through 11 May 2026 and plans to open 24 additional tombs, which may reveal further literary papyri and test current hypotheses about the ritual function of Homeric texts.

Archaeologists open a Roman tomb in Al-Bahnasa with gold-tongued mummies and discover inside one of the mummies the first Greek literary text ever found in funerary practice.