>Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered a remarkable combination of Homeric epic and Egyptian ritual: a 2,000-year-old mummy with a papyrus fragment of the “Iliad” sealed in a clay packet outside its wrappings.>It is the first time a literary work has been found playing a functional, spiritual role in the mummification process. And it suggests that for a Roman-era Egyptian, the “Iliad” — specifically some lines from Book 2’s “Catalogue of Ships” — was perhaps as crucial for navigating the afterlife as a magical spell.>“The find is incredibly significant, primarily for the discovery of such a papyrus with Greek literary text in its original context,” said Foy Scalf, an Egyptologist at the University of Chicago. “We have evidence that such Greek literary texts could be used as magical amulets and that Homer was frequently cited in such amulets, as well as in the large handbooks now known as ‘The Greco-Egyptian Formularies.’ The new find directly supports that indirect knowledge.”>nytimes.com/2026/05/15/science/archaeology-egypt-mummy-iliad.html
But /lit/ told me I could skip the catalogue of ships... Am I never gonna make it to the afterlife ??
>>25284426You know what to do
>>25284411is this real
>>25284442no, it's Egypt
>>25284426I never understood why anyone would skip parts of a book or advocate doing so.
>>25284411>>It is the first time a literary work has been found playing a functional, spiritual role in the mummification process.The fuck.>What are literally 90% of all Egyptian texts that have survived.
>>25284446Samuel Johnson advocated for it. He said books are to be used; tear out pages, skip to the middle, read the good bits again and again.
>>25284453The Homeric poems were sometimes treated as tantamount to scripture, but they weren't scripture in such a sense that they weren't questioned, so there is something a little unusual about it.
>>25284484yep - they were entirely literary (as opposed to religious). not written by temple priests who set themselves to exalt the gods and praise their rulers.
>>25284426The Catalogue of ships serves as a shout out to the various audiences. He likely descended from one of them.You can skip it since it's like reading an excel spreadsheet with some prose.
the equivalent of being buried with the Harry Potter books kekI
>>25284469Wow what a sigma
>>25284881er yeah
>>25284411>And it suggests that for a Roman-era Egyptian, the “Iliad” — specifically some lines from Book 2’s “Catalogue of Ships” — was perhaps as crucial for navigating the afterlife as a magical spell.I'm calling BULLSHIT
