Episode

The Roman Mummy Who Swallowed the Iliad, or, Take 1186 Ships and Call Me in the Morning

Podcast

This Week in the Ancient Near East

Published

Jul 21, 2026

Duration seconds

2291

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not_requested

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https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dbrjh338zpndwd5n/podcast_142_-_7_20_26_939_AM79kdk.mp3

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Summary

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?