Just a few months away from the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Homer’s Iliad has been uncovered on an Egyptian Mummy. The filmmaker has taken on this time the daunting task of bringing the revered Greek epic The Odyssey, written by Homer, to the screen. It is never easy to bring a literary piece, ancient and so deeply rooted in the lore of an entire civilization, to life in its full glory, but Nolan’s filmography and the sheer brilliance of his direction foster a sense of confidence in this venture.

While the buzz around the movie is at its all-time high, this discovery adds to the overall hype.

The University of Barcelona made a unique discovery, according to a news release on April 20. While excavating a Roman-era tomb in the Egyptian town of Al Bahnasa, researchers from the school discovered a portion of Homer's Iliad. The tomb is situated in the Al Bahnasa necropolis, which was formerly a part of ancient Oxyrhynchus, one of the most significant cities in Greco-Roman Egypt, according to school officials.

When the researchers examined the mummy's abdomen, they found a sheet of papyrus with text from Homer's Iliad referencing the siege of Troy. The verse is from Book II of the epic poetry, where Homer lists the Greek ships that arrived to fight Troy after Paris, the son of the Trojan king, brought Helen, the Spartan queen and daughter of Zeus, there.

Although papyri are frequently discovered at Oxyrhynchus, one of the most significant locations for ancient Greek writings, it is much less common for them to be found inside a mummy. Because of this, the discovery is unique in both literature and history. According to experts, the piece was probably repurposed as part of the mummy's cartonnage or wrappings, which was a frequent procedure in antiquity when discarded texts were used for burial preparation rather than being placed for symbolic value.

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Although the discovery is a few months old, it surely has given people something to talk about other than the casting debate that has taken over the entire marketing campaign of the movie.

Since the release of the trailer for The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan has faced backlash over the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy. While everyone acknowledges the capabilities of the actress, the agitation stems from the fact that she does not fit the character’s description from the source material.

Homer’s Iliad describes Helen as a fair-skinned woman with flowing, golden locks. Nyong’o is nothing like what the writer describes Helen to be. Another casting debate centers on Elliot Page cast as Achilles, the fabled Greek warrior described to be broad shouldered with a muscular build. Anyhow, the discovery of the Mummy with Homer’s Iliad on it might help with taking some heat off the casting.

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What do you think about the discovery? Do you think this in any way helps with the casting controversy? Share your thoughts.