A papyrus fragment of Homer’s epic The Iliad has been discovered inside the wrappings of Roman-era mummy. The mummy was found in a necropolis the ancient site of Oxyrhynchus (modern-day El-Bahnasa) in Egypt’s Minya Governorate. Archaeologists were able to remove the papyrus and identify the text as the “Index of Ships,” a description of the Greek forces arrayed against Troy from Book 2 of the Iliad.

A joint Spanish-Egyptian team from the University of Barcelona and the Institute of the Ancient Near East unearthed a number of mummies from the Roman-era necropolis, some in wooden coffins, some wrapped in bandages decorated with geometric patterns, three with gold tongues and one with a copper tongue placed inside their mouths. A few of the deceased had traces of gold leaf that had been applied to them after mummification.

Additional gold and copper tongues were found in the excavation of tomb number 65. Deteriorated mummified remains were unearthed in a hypogeum (underground chamber) of the tomb, revealing the tongue inserts. There were also several painted wooden coffins, but they too are poorly preserved as a result of the tomb have been looted in antiquity.

There were also finds in the older section of the cemetery.

Professor Mohamed Abdel-Badi, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that excavations east of Ptolemaic Tomb No. 67 revealed a trench containing three limestone burial chambers.

These chambers housed the cremated remains of adults and an infant, as well as animal remains, notably cats, wrapped in cloth.

The team also discovered a collection of small terracotta and bronze statues, including representations of the god Harpocrates and a figure of Cupid. […]

For his part, Hisham el-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, added that the site offers valuable insights into burial traditions in Bahnasa during the Greek and Roman eras.