Archaeologists conducting excavations in the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus have unearthed a mummy whose abdomen bore an attached scrap of Homer’s “Iliad.” This represents the first discovery of its kind, according to CNN, with the report being translated by aif.ru.
Members of the team from the University of Barcelona in Spain indicated that ritualistic inscriptions were also present on the mummy.
“This is a significant moment for us. Previously, we had no knowledge that literary works were incorporated into funerary rites,” remarked scholar Adiego.
He further mentioned that although the papyrus fragment is damaged and in poor condition, the team managed to confirm the passage originated from the ship catalogue found in the second book of the epic poem.
The mummy was located in the modern Egyptian town of Al-Bahnasa, situated approximately 200 kilometers south of Cairo. The age of the find is estimated to be around 1,600 years.
Researchers now hypothesize that the papyri displaying text were applied during ceremonies, likely serving “protective purposes.”
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