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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-week-in-the-ancient-near-east-3467259/the-roman-mummy-who-swallowed-the-iliad-or-take-1186-ships-and-call-me-in-the-morning
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-week-in-the-ancient-near-east-3467259/the-roman-mummy-who-swallowed-the-iliad-or-take-1186-ships-and-call-me-in-the-morning.md
Podcast: [This Week in the Ancient Near East](https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-week-in-the-ancient-near-east-3467259)
Published: 2026-07-21T11:12:54+00:00
Episode link: https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/e/the-roman-mummy-who-swallowed-the-iliad-or-take-1186-ships-and-call-me-in-the-morning/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dbrjh338zpndwd5n/podcast_142_-_7_20_26_939_AM79kdk.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2291

## Resource

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?

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## Transcript

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