At the archaeological site of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, researchers discovered a 2,000-year-old mummified individual with a sealed papyrus packet containing verses from Book 2 of Homer’s Iliad. Dr. Leah Mascia coordinated the collaborative effort to conserve, identify, and interpret the heavily degraded text, revealing the first known example of a literary work serving a functional role in Egyptian mummification. Her analysis of the packet’s seals and folding patterns shows how Greek and Egyptian traditions converged under Roman rule—raising questions about whether Homeric poetry offered the deceased protection, affirmed cultural identity and status, or helped guide the journey into the afterlife.

Dr. Leah Mascia is a postdoctoral researcher at the Egyptological Seminar of the Freie Universität Berlin and former head of Research Field B “Inscribing Spaces” at the Cluster of Excellence “Understanding Written Artefacts,” Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, Universität Hamburg.

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