Greek Funerals Death

The Egyptians also worried very much about the after life and made many preparations before the afterlife. There graves were very important to them, and they also did much to keep them from decaying after they passed. That is why they had the idea of mummification to allow them to not decay long after they passed. We also pay a lot of money to allow us to keep from decaying on our burials and the coffins.

The temples, pyramids, tombs, and religious artifacts left behind all tell us that the Ancient Egyptians believed in the resurrection of the dead. Their belief in immortality was the fundamental driving force behind their religion. “The formulae which were declared to have been recited during the performance of ceremonies were written down and copied for scores of generations, and every pious, well-to-do Egyptian made arrangements that what had been done and said on behalf of Osiris should be done and said for him outside and inside his tomb after his death.” (Liturgy of Funeral Offerings, pg.2) This illustrates just how important the ceremony and the process was to the Egyptians. Their belief in the afterlife and the importance of the ceremonial steps taken to get them there caused them great concern with their own funerals. Today, everyone has an idea of what they would like to do for their own funeral as well. We may follow in the same patterns as our family heritage has done for generations with either a traditional funeral or cremation, or we may have a newer alternative in mind for our self. Even though we may not be preparing for an afterlife, we still have an

Regardless of social strata, death and the afterlife were almost always valued by the living in ancient Egypt. The afterlife was birthed and designed for great societal rulers but eventually trickled down and was adopted by other levels of society (Murnane in Obayashi, 1992, p. 42). Death was interpreted as “new life in another state” by ancient Egypt, and the ultimate goal of immortality could be attained if specific burial arrangements were made for the dead. This was to avoid a final death of the soul known as the “second death,” and measures such as burial with food, drink, and personal possessions, were taken to aid the soul on its journey into immortality (Murnane in Obayashi, 1992, p. 36).

The introduction of Misenus into the beginning Book VI of the Aeneid demonstrates the Roman belief that a dead body brings pollution: both physically and spiritually. In order to combat this Aeneas is instructed to “carry him to his place of rest and lay him in a tomb. Then you must bring black cattle to begin purification”. This purification ritual exemplifies the notion that a dead body brings pollution to the community it is found within. The in-depth funeral rites described in Book VI in regards to Misenus exemplify the modern Roman belief and rituals regarding death. First they lit a large pyre with Misenus’ armour placed on top. Secondly they heated water cauldrons to wash and anointed his body and then placed him in his familial purple robes: further exemplifying the importance of body purification. Then there are descriptions of lighting the pyre and offerings being burnt: incense, sacrificial food, and bowls filled with oil. The ashes are then cooled with wine and placed in a bronze casket that is then carried around the comrades thrice. Finally, in this description, a mound is made and – in this case – called Mount Misenus: a lasting memory. The funeral rites of Misenus demonstrate important, modern, roman qualities. In the Bronze Age, when the myth of Aeneas is set, traditions toward burial and death were different. The fact that Virgil depicts this ancient, mythological funeral in an Augustan Rome manner exemplifies the importance of this burial, thus

The tombs had two main functions. The first function was a place that provided an eternal resting place in which the body could lay protected from thieves and scavengers. The second function of the tomb was a place where cults and ritual acts could be performed to ensure eternal life (Taylor, 2001:136). The body of the person was buried along with their belongings in the tomb to ensure the individual had all the proper materials needed for the afterlife. The Egyptians usually did this because “Tombs were constructed to mirror aspects of the afterlife” (Olson, 2009). These tombs were not only a place where bodies of a deceased lay; it was also a place where rituals would take place. One ritual that was done on the bodies was the ‘Opening of the Mouth’. This was a burial ritual that “accompanied the placement of funerary goods in a tomb- and was a necessary step in the deceased’s rebirth” (Olson, 2009). One very important service that had to be done was the mummification process in which the removal of organs

Funerary customs are practises and beliefs that the Ancient Egyptians used to respect their dead, and preserve their bodies in preparation for the afterlife which was a universe that mirrored their life on Earth, where they would live with the Gods in eternal Egypt. The body of the deceased could be mummified, which was where a body is dried, packed with minerals and wrapped in linen cloths, whereas another form would be embalming which is the use of salts and spices to preserve a body and took 70 days in total. However, there were many tests and dangers on the way to the afterlife, including fire-filled lakes, poisonous snakes and executioners. Because of this, there were many ceremonies and tests to see if the deceased person was worthy of the Afterlife. Such as the opening of the mouth ceremony which was when a priest touched parts of the deceased body at a funeral in order for the

As we all know death of humans has been one of the utmost mysteries we would all like to solve. Although the ancient Mesopotamia, Egyptian, and Hindu all believed in an afterlife, their understanding and celebration if any, seems to be a little different. Mesopotamians were afraid of death, although they believed in afterlife they also had strong belief about the spirits still being alive. The Egyptians had an understanding and outlook on death, in which they believed in an afterlife, but they also believed in preserving the body. However, the Hindu also had the same perspective on afterlife, they were also very religious, but the way they went about it was much different than those of Mesopotamia and Egyptians.

Sandy Hingston offers many intriguing views of a funeral service from the conventional method of a service in a church and the burial of the deceased to a service that more so relates to a party than a funeral. “The Death of the Funeral Business” also raises many questions to be pondered by the reader. Hingston says, “A societal changeover from burial to cremation is momentous for our culture. It signals a cataclysmic shift in how we think about our bodies and ourselves” (38). The questions that arise from this quote are what parallels may Hingston be trying to draw between the trend in cremation and the way we “think about our bodies and ourselves?” Why may she be trying to develop these connections? These are the questions I will be focusing on and how they relate to what I think the purpose of the article is. I believe the purpose of this article is to show how our generation is changing the way we view death and how the use of technology has greatly impacted the way funerals are done.

Funeral ceremonies were extremely elaborate, especially for upper class citizens. Funerals had five parts in Ancient Rome; the procession, the cremation and burial, the eulogy, the feast, and the commemoration. Ceremonies began closely after death, as soon as all necessary preparations were made. At the home, the deceased’s body would be washed with warm water and then anointed. If the deceased person had held office, a wax impression of his features would be taken. Next, the body would be dressed in in a toga with all the regalia of the rank he was allowed to wear. Incense would be burned and pine woul dbe places outside the door to signify death in the house. In early and late times, when burial was more popular than cremation, a coing would be placed in between the teeth of the deceased, as payment for Charon, the ferryman of the underworld. These rites were simplified in poorer funerals, as well as done by a family member. However, for the rich, an undertaker, or designator, would do so().

The funerary procession began with the deceased’s body held in an upright position and the body should never be reclined at any point.10 It was also a necessary step for the deceased to play a role in his or her own funeral; a way to achieve this was through the use of masks, mimes and actors.11 This can be seen when Diodorus Siculus describes the lavish funeral of Lucius Aemilius Paullus in 160 BC, and how he was a participant in his own ceremony.12 This was achieved by using professional actors into the funeral. By doing so, Romans were able to bring the deceased back to life for a moment to commemorate the success they achieved in their lifetime. An aspect that was never overlooked to ensure this was the physical similarity between the actor and the deceased. This is demonstrated when Suentonis describes the funeral of emperor Vespasian; in his ceremony the hired actor not only shared physical similarities with the emperor but he was even able to imitate the supposedly stinginess the Emperor had.13 The use of hired actors in funerals did not have a direct effect on the change of burials but the tradition still held

“The Death of the Funeral Business” is an article explaining why the traditions of having a funeral have declined over the past years. According to some of the research that Hingston made, in 1998, only 24 percent of Americans were cremated compared to in 2012, where over 43 percent of Americans were cremated. Throughout the article Hingston explains why technology has been a huge impact on the decline of funeral traditions.

Good morning, today is September 2925 B.C., as I start my morning I’m very excited. I’m starting my new journey at Kiaria O. Brown Mortuary Inc., the team and I are set out to travel to Port Said, Egypt for Queen Nefertiti Ancient Egyptian Funerary. As the team conduct normal procedures before the day start, I prepare to get the necessary tools to prep the deceased for mummification, the most important process we have to commence after a person has died. Ms. Nefertiti would be buried in paradise known as The Field of Reeds, where her soul would be tested. The Field of Reeds is known to the Egyptians as A’aru, which they believed the afterlife of the eternal soul were visions of their mirror-like image. Death to the Egyptians is a celebration, the family members believe her soul is trapped inside her body, so therefore we must send her to the Gods. The Gods were Anubis, Osiris, Thoth and The Forty-Two Judges. As Queen Nefertiti confess to her negative actions, the high power would confer. Would the queen heart be lighter than the feather or heavier? Who knows. There’s no hell in the afterlife, your only Great Death is to be thrown to the floor and eaten by the female devourer of the dead known as Ammut. The family brought Queen Nefertiti to Kiaria. O. Brown Mortuary embalmers, in which the family had to sit down with the professionals to agree upon pricing and quality. It was up to Nefertiti family members to choose the coffin type, funerary rites available and the treatment

form of a bird usually a falcon and fly around in the world of the living

Did you know that there are many ways to mummify something, and sometimes thing mummify themselves. Many people believe that mummies are only in egypt but mummified humans and animals have been found all over the world. Places like egypt have been mummifying the dead for many years, “Egyptologists once thought that the practice of formally mummifying the dead began about 4,500 years ago during the reign of Khufu, who built the largest of the pyramids at Giza.” The process of mummification would take 70 days to complete. In some places they would take out the organs and sometimes chop of the heads, of the dead. Although, they would leave the heart; this was a spiritual type ordeal. Because it was considered the soul, after the removal of organs

The modern funeral is something that everybody experiences either through death of an acquaintance or by direct necessity to arrange a funeral yet so many people know so little about funerals and the industry behind it. This lack of knowledge is the main cause of consumer’s issues with the modern funeral. Arranging a funeral is at least problematic and in most cases is a harrowing experience. This clearly indicates that fundamental problems exist in the funeral industry. The funeral should be a hallowed event but is one overshadowed by the depressing and stressful ordeal of arrangement. A majority of these issues could be resolved if the general public knew about funerals but unfortunately this knowledge is not common and has many affects on the consumer.