A papyrus fragment of Homer’s epic The Iliad has been found contained in the wrappings of Roman-era mummy. The mum was present in a necropolis the traditional web site of Oxyrhynchus (modern-day El-Bahnasa) in Egypt’s Minya Governorate. Archaeologists have been capable of take away the papyrus and establish the textual content because the “Index of Ships,” an outline of the Greek forces arrayed towards Troy from E-book 2 of the Iliad.
A joint Spanish-Egyptian workforce from the College of Barcelona and the Institute of the Historical Close to East unearthed numerous mummies from the Roman-era necropolis, some in wood coffins, some wrapped in bandages adorned with geometric patterns, three with gold tongues and one with a copper tongue positioned inside their mouths. A couple of of the deceased had traces of gold leaf that had been utilized to them after mummification.
Further gold and copper tongues have been discovered within the excavation of tomb quantity 65. Deteriorated mummified stays have been unearthed in a hypogeum (underground chamber) of the tomb, revealing the tongue inserts. There have been additionally a number of painted wood coffins, however they too are poorly preserved because of the tomb have been looted in antiquity.
There have been additionally finds within the older part of the cemetery.
Professor Mohamed Abdel-Badi, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector on the Supreme Council of Antiquities, defined that excavations east of Ptolemaic Tomb No. 67 revealed a trench containing three limestone burial chambers.
These chambers housed the cremated stays of adults and an toddler, in addition to animal stays, notably cats, wrapped in material.
The workforce additionally found a group of small terracotta and bronze statues, together with representations of the god Harpocrates and a determine of Cupid. […]
For his half, Hisham el-Leithy, Secretary-Basic of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, added that the location provides priceless insights into burial traditions in Bahnasa throughout the Greek and Roman eras.
