A Spanish archaeological mission from the University of Barcelona has found a papyrus containing part of Homer's epic poem "The Iliad" inside a 1600-year-old tomb in the Bahnasa region of Egypt.
This discovery is exceptional because it is the first time in the history of archaeology that a Greek literary text has been found that was deliberately placed within the mummification process, giving us a much deeper understanding of burial rituals and religious life in ancient Egypt.
The papyrus fragment was found inside the abdomen of a mummy buried approximately 1600 years ago in a Roman-era cemetery in the city of Oxyrhynchus. This city, known in Pharaonic times as Per-Megid, was one of the most important cities in Egypt during the Greek and Roman periods. Its remains are located today in the town of Bahnasa, 190 km south of Cairo.
During excavations that took place between November and December 2025, the research team found a Roman-era mummy inside tomb number 65, with a papyrus scroll on its stomach as part of the mummification rituals.
In previous expeditions, Greek papyri were found in similar places, but they always contained magical or ritual texts, not literary texts such as the Iliad.
In a subsequent campaign during January and February 2026, experts analyzed the papyrus and found that it belonged to the "Book of Ships" from the second book of the Iliad, the famous passage that describes the massing of Greek armies before Troy, and is considered one of the most important texts of Western literature.
The epic poem "The Iliad" tells the story of the Trojan War, the heroism of Achilles, the strongest Greek warrior, and his personal tragedy. It dates back to the 8th century BC.
But scientists have not yet determined why this particular literary text was chosen to be placed inside the mummy.
Professor Ignasi-Javier Adeego, leader of the Oxyrhynchus archaeological mission , says: "This is not the first time we have found Greek papyri hidden in mummification, but it is the first time that their content is literary rather than magical. The most important thing is that finding a literary text in a funerary context is the real novelty."
Roman-era mummification rituals blended Egyptian, Greek, and Roman customs. While priests continued to embalm bodies with salt and linen for over 40 days, they preferred to stuff the body with preservatives and sealed papyrus scrolls instead of using traditional canopic jars to preserve the organs.
The Oxyrhynchus archaeological mission began its work in 1992 and is one of the longest-running Spanish missions in Egypt. The mission concluded its most recent campaign (from November 2025 to February 2026) with discoveries of exceptional historical and archaeological significance, uncovering three limestone chambers containing Roman-era mummies. Previously, 52 Ptolemaic-era mummies had also been found, more than a dozen of which possessed "golden tongues," a symbol of preparation for the afterlife.
