Archaeologists working at the ancient Egyptian site of Oxyrhynchus have made a remarkable discovery: a papyrus containing a passage from Homer’s Iliad was found inside a Roman-era mummy dating back about 1,600 years. Researchers say it is the first known case in archaeological history in which a Greek literary text was intentionally incorporated into the mummification process.
The find was made by the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission, directed by Maite Mascort and Esther Pons through the Institute of Ancient Near East Studies (IPOA) at the University of Barcelona. It comes from Al Bahnasa, the modern town located at the site of ancient Oxyrhynchus in Egypt.
A Literary Papyrus Used in Mummification
During excavations conducted between November and December 2025, a team led by Núria Castellano uncovered a Roman-era mummy in Tomb 65 of Sector 22. Resting on the mummy’s abdomen was a papyrus that had been deliberately placed there as part of the embalming ritual.
The mission had previously discovered Greek papyri positioned in similar ways during earlier excavations. However, those texts were consistently magical or ritual in nature. This is the first time a literary work, specifically Homer’s Iliad, has been identified in that role.
Experts Identify a Famous Passage From the Iliad
The papyrus underwent detailed study during a second research campaign held in January and February 2026. Conservator Margalida Munar, papyrologist Leah Mascia, and Ignasi-Xavier Adiego, professor in the Department of Classical, Romance and Semitic Languages, classical philologist, and director of the Oxyrhynchus project, examined the fragile document.
Using Leah Mascia’s reading of the text, Professor Adiego determined that the fragment comes from the “Catalogue of Ships” in Book II of Homer’s Iliad. This well-known section lists the Greek forces preparing for the Trojan War and is considered one of the best-known passages in Western literature.
Professor Adiego explains: “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. Furthermore, 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.”
Excavations at Ancient Oxyrhynchus
The discovery was made in the Al Bahnasa necropolis, the archaeological site identified with ancient Oxyrhynchus, one of the most important cities of Greco-Roman Egypt. Located about 190 kilometers south of Cairo near the Bahr Yussef branch of the Nile, the site has long been known for preserving thousands of ancient papyri.
Excavations uncovered a funerary complex consisting of three limestone burial chambers containing Roman-era mummies and decorated wooden sarcophagi. Many of the tombs had suffered damage from looting in the past, leaving several artifacts in poor condition.
A Long Running Archaeological Mission
The University of Barcelona’s Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission began in 1992 under the leadership of Professor Josep Padró. It has become one of Spain’s longest running and most established archaeological projects in Egypt.
Its most recent field season, carried out between November 2025 and February 2026, produced a number of discoveries that researchers describe as historically and archaeologically significant.
The mission receives support from the Ministry of Culture, the University of Barcelona, the Palarq Foundation, the Catalan Egyptology Society, and AIXA Serveis Arqueològics. It also works in cooperation with Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and Cairo University.
The team’s latest discoveries were recently presented during a public lecture series held at the University of Barcelona’s Faculty of Philology and Communication in the Gabriel Oliver room. The program featured talks by project members covering archaeology, anthropology, and conservation.