Gold tongues and a Homeric papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus.

Archaeologists working in a Ptolemaic tomb at Oxyrhynchus reported finding three gold tongues and a papyrus fragment from Book 2 of Homer's Iliad; the items will undergo conservation and be moved to the Supreme Council of Antiquities' storage.

Spanish archaeologists from the University of Barcelona and the Institute of the Ancient Near East reported new finds at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt's Minya Governorate. The team worked in the eastern sector of a Ptolemaic tomb numbered 67 and opened an underground funerary chamber. They found three gold tongues and a fourth copper piece near mummies, and they noted thin gold sheets applied to some bodies. Inside one mummy they recovered papyrus bearing a fragment of Book 2 of Homer's Iliad, the "Catalogue of Ships." Key discoveries: - Excavation site: Oxyrhynchus (modern Al-Bahnasa), Minya Governorate, in the eastern sector of Ptolemaic tomb number 67 and its underground funerary chamber. - Grave goods: Three gold tongues and an additional copper piece found near mummies; such objects were buried to enable speech with Osiris, as reported by the team. - Indicators of wealth: Thin gold sheets applied to the surface of some mummies were observed by the archaeologists. - Literary find: A papyrus fragment inside a mummy contains a passage from Book 2 of Homer's Iliad, the "Catalogue of Ships." - Conservation and custody: Recovered material will undergo conservation, laboratory analyses, and photogrammetric documentation, then be transferred to the storage facilities of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Summary: The excavation team described the assemblage as a "hybrid funerary panorama," highlighting a blending of Greek customs and Egyptian-Roman funerary practices during Roman rule. The items are scheduled for detailed conservation and study, and researchers said the Homeric fragment could provide context about Hellenization in Oxyrhynchus. Further analysis and documentation will determine what additional insights the finds yield.