Scientists are baffled to discover a fragment of Homer’s ‘Iliad’ INSIDE a Roman-era mummy

It’s the epic poem that’s regarded as the cornerstone of Western literature – and it turns out Homer’s Iliad was a must–read for the afterlife, too.

Archaeologists have discovered a fragment of the text inside the gut of an Egyptian mummy, dating back 1,600 years.

This marks the first time a Greek literary text has been found incorporated into the preservation process.

It was found in a Roman–era tomb in the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus, situated 118 miles (190km) south of Cairo in an area now known as Al–Bahnasa.

The researchers say the papyrus was placed in the abdomen as part of the embalming ritual, which involved dehydrating the body and wrapping it for protection.

Excavations have already uncovered examples of Greek writing included in the mummification process, but all contained magical or ritualistic content.

‘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,’ Professor Ignasi–Xavier Adiego, from the University of Barcelona, said.

‘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.’

Experts discovered a fragment of Homer’s epic poem Iliad inside a mummy, dating back 1,600 years

A separate mummy unearthed at the archaeological site of Oxyrhynchus, situated 118 miles (190km) south of Cairo in an area now known as Al–Bahnasa

The team, which also consisted of researchers from the Institute of Ancient Near East Studies, found the mummy during a recent excavation campaign carried out between November and December 2025.

They found a funerary complex comprising three limestone chambers in which Roman–era mummies and decorated wooden sarcophagi were found, many of them in a state of disrepair due to past looting.

The fragment of Homer’s iconic poem was found within the gut of a mummy in ‘Tomb 65’.

Closer inspection revealed the papyrus contained within the mummy detailed a list of ships, which they were able to link to the epic poem.

The Iliad, which dates back to 800BC, is divided into 24 books.

It mainly focuses on the Trojan War and the heroic deeds and tragic fate of Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Greek army.

The text found within the mummy comes from Book II of the poem, where it lists the Greek contingents that sailed to Troy.

Researchers said they are unsure why this particular text was chosen for the preservation process.

The team, which also consisted of researchers from the Institute of Ancient Near East Studies, found the mummy during a recent excavation campaign carried out between November and December 2025

Roman–era mummification in Oxyrhynchus combined traditional Egyptian, Greek, and Roman customs.

Egyptian priests of the time focused on preserving bodies for over 40 days rather than the traditional 70, using natron salt to dehydrate them and wrapping them up in linen.

Instead of removing the organs and preserving them in traditional canopic jars, they often filled the body with textiles or embalming materials.

Previous excavations in the ancient city led to the discovery of 52 mummies dating back over 2,000 years.

Of these, 13 had been adorned with gold tongues and fingernails – a symbol of preparation for the afterlife.

Archaeologists said they also uncovered other artifacts of ‘great value’ including a heart scarab in its original position, amulets with figures of Egyptian deities such as Horus, Thoth and Isis, and a terracotta figurine of the god Harpocrates.

Ancient Egyptians believed gold was considered a divine metal that was everlasting and had magical powers.

Experts think these ornate tongues were intended to allow the dead to speak with the god of the underworld – Osiris.

Long–lost papyrus scripts also found at the Oxyrhynchus archaeological site include hangover cures, plays about Moses and a doctor’s report on a drowned slave girl.

Archaeologists have previously discovered 13 golden tongues and fingernails adorning mummies buried in the 2,000–year–old tombs

Some even depict spells and magical formulas that called upon both gods and demons in hopes to attain love, sex and power.

These required a person to simply add the name of their target in order to lay a curse.

One such spell claims to ‘burn the heart’ of a woman until she falls in love with the spell caster, Franco Maltomini of the University of Udine in Italy, who translated the two texts, said.

The ancient hex instructs the reader to leave ‘Burnt offering in the bathhouse … and write with the blood of Typhon and glue it to the dry vaulted room of the bath.’

‘I adjure you,’ it continues, ‘earth and waters, by the demon who dwells on you and the fortune of this bath so that, as you blaze and burn and flame, so blaze her until she comes to me.’