Renaissance Europe admired ancient Rome, ancient Rome admired ancient Greece, and ancient Greece admired ancient Egypt. However, in the last case, the admiration could actually go both ways, since the periods of existence of the two civilizations overlapped. The Greeks made no secret of the fact that they considered Egypt to be a much deeper fountain of knowledge and wisdom (in fact, much of what we know about ancient Egypt today comes from Greek records), but archaeological evidence shows that the Egyptians also never denied Greek achievements. Many Greek texts have been discovered in Egyptian burial sites, but only recently have Greek literary works been discovered packed with mummies. It was not just a literary work, but a page from Homer’s writings. Iliad.
The fragment, unearthed from a 1,600-year-old Roman tomb in the Egyptian town of al-Bafnasa, contains a passage from the epic Catalog of Ships, Volume 2, which lists all the ships the Achaean army sent to Troy. It dates back to ancient Egypt, several centuries after the reign of Greek Cleopatra, when “papyri of Greek literature may have served as an important cultural passport.” like new york timesFranz Lis writes.
“Being Greek meant exclusive social status and economic privileges, which had to be meticulously recorded through genealogies stretching back centuries.” Iliad It was thought to function as a kind of Greek passport, allowing the dead to avoid the trials of the underworld described in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
At this stage in ancient Egyptian history, Homer’s work was so revered that doctors actually recognized him as having therapeutic properties. “For a bedridden patient shivering with malaria, the prescription was simple: hold one’s head over a fourth papyrus scroll to reduce the fever.” Whatever its effectiveness, Iliad That this document has been continuously studied around the world, for more than 1,500 years after it slipped into an Egyptian tomb, and for most of the 3,000 years since its creation, to combat infectious diseases or even to ensure safe passage to the afterlife, suggests a kind of historical and cultural power that ordinary literature does not possess. What would Christopher Nolan’s next movie be? odyssey Even if it happens to be successful enough to get Hollywood back on its feet, perhaps we’ll have to give it to the ancient Egyptians and acknowledge that Homer really does offer salvation after all.
Related content:
homer’s Iliad and odyssey: Free audiobooks and ebooks
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Homer’s only illustrated manuscript Iliad since ancient times
Oldest tattoo discovered on Egyptian mummy dates back 5,000 years
Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead: A guidebook for surviving the afterlife
How did the Egyptians make mummies? Animation introducing ancient mummification techniques
Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
