Archaeologists Discover Homer's Iliad Used as Embalming Material in 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy
A team of archaeologists from the University of Barcelona, led by Núria Castellano, has uncovered a unique archaeological find in a 1,600-year-old Egyptian mummy. During a field campaign in late 2025, the team discovered a papyrus containing a passage from Homer's Iliad used as embalming material. This discovery was made in Tomb 65 at the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus, a site known for yielding numerous papyrus fragments. The papyrus was found deliberately placed on the mummy's abdomen, suggesting it was part of the embalming process. The text identified is from Book II of the Iliad, specifically the Catalogue of Ships, a well-known section listing Greek forces that sailed to Troy. This is the first time a literary text has been found in such a funerary context, as previous papyri found in mummies typically contained magical or religious texts. 
