About this episode

The episode discusses a Roman mummy from Oxyrhynchus that tested positive for a snippet of the Iliad, exploring its significance and potential connections to modern cinema.

A Roman mummy from the fabulously named site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt has tested positive for the Iliad. But why put a snippet of Homer’s tale on a mummy, especially a fairly dull list of ships and places? Maybe it was to audition for a Christopher Nolan movie?

Topics covered

• Roman mummy
• Oxyrhynchus
• Iliad
• Homer
• ancient history
• archaeology
• film references

Keywords

• Roman mummy
• Iliad
• Oxyrhynchus
• Homer
• ancient Egypt
• archaeology
• Christopher Nolan

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Iliad

Places: Oxyrhynchus, Egypt

More episodes of This Week in the Ancient Near East

• Home on the Range at Iron Age Hazor, Isotope Edition, Or, The Cows Come Home Regardless of Your So-Called Borders, Humans · June 30, 2026 · 41 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the This Week in the Ancient Near East podcast page.