Archaeologists have discovered a copy of Homer's Iliad in the abdomen of an Egyptian mummy, providing new insights into the funerary practices of ancient Egypt.

A team of archaeologists from the Institute of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Barcelona has discovered a copy of Homer's Iliad in the abdomen of a mummy from a Roman tomb, approximately 1,600 years old, in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. This is the first time a Greek literary text has been found in the context of the mummification process, which has significant implications for understanding funerary practices and religious life in ancient Egypt. Until now, mummies from this period contained papyri with magical or ritual texts, but not literary ones. The discovered fragment is part of the catalog of ships in Book II of the epic and includes a famous passage about the Greek forces gathered before Troy. Researchers are unsure why this specific text was chosen for mummification, but the discovery underscores the importance of Oxyrhynchus as a cultural center during the Greco-Roman period. Previous excavations in the ancient city have led to the discovery of 52 mummies from the Ptolemaic period, many of which had "golden tongues," symbolizing preparation for the afterlife.