History Paper Burial Practices, Concept of After Life Ancient Romans and Egyptians

All Native American cultures have strong beliefs in life after death, although the means of reaching the next life may vary from tribe to tribe. They traditionally believe that death is a part of a natural cycle in which their spirits are transported back and forth between this world and the spirit world so that they can bring renewal and new life when they return. Most consider this transition to be an honor or privilege since it will ensure the survival of their people. In Native American culture, it is believed that neglect of tribal rituals can result in death and sickness, because the spirit returns without blessings, having been unable to enter the other world. According

Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion. Their belief in the rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral practices. Death was simply a temporary interruption, rather than an end to life, and that eternal life could be ensured by means of worship to the gods, preservation of the physical form thru mummification, substantial ceremonies and detailed burial policies and procedures. Even though many today have varying views of an afterlife, many of the funerary practices that originated in Egypt can be seen in present day funeral services.

Anthropologists can generally conclude that ancient Egyptians strove for immortality and that their beliefs of transcendence were extremely important to them, given burial sites, tomb art, and various extensive ancient texts. Pyramid texts illustrate deliberate assurance to the deceased that physical death was solely an illusion, thereby insinuating that the actual death

Burial has long been considered an important component of death; it is the mourners’ final encounter with the recognizable, substantial body of the deceased. Every culture has to determine how to deal with the physical remains of the dead, to find a way to honour their memory, and to go on living in a society that is now deprived of one of its members. Burial traditions and practices have developed throughout history and around the world to meet this human need. This paper will examine Jewish death and burial practices from the Old Testament, the Gospels, and other New Testament accounts, as well as archaeological evidence from first century Palestine; this evidence, when compared to recent arguments against the burial of

In Ancient Greece, people took it for granted that when they died, they would be buried. But in Sophocles’ Oedipus plays, some characters were left unburied and no one was allowed to bury them on pain of death. The treatment of the dead in Sophocles’ Oedipus plays corresponded and contradicted the treatment of the dead in Ancient Thebes in three ways. The first way was belief on unburied, next was the respect shown for the dead, and finally the burial ceremony.

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().

While the model of a ‘Good Roman Death’ may have differed by person, the constant remained that a death that was rapid and without suffering, and in the company of relatives, was ideal. A Roman funeral began at the deathbed of the deceased with the last kiss, the closing of the eyes, and the calling out of their name to confirm death. The role of preparing the body was taken over by the woman of the house if a pollinctores, a male slave commissioned to lie out the body, was not employed. There were many laws surrounding the proper and decent disposal of the deceased as written in the Digest of Roman Law. Due to such laws, some worried about the legally mandated financial burden would join a burial collegium, a club in which members would make contributions to expense funerals.

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

Death and burial was a close companion for people in the ancient world, because of their short life expectancy. They developed ceremonies and rituals centred around the dying, the dead and their survivors. The practices adopted by ancient peoples allowed individuals to cope with the mysteries of death and the fear associated with it. When bodies are not mummified their skeletons can help Archaeologists discover information about age, physical fitness and to some extent, diet of the corpse (through the preservation of stomach contents.) Burials usually take place with in a short time of the person's death.

The bodies were embalmed in special buildings or tents. The names of the buildings were called embalming workshops, and they were owned by a group of priests. Sometimes, the priest who was embalming the body would have to step outside because the smell coming from the corpse was very strong.

One very obvious indication of the decline became the use of ephemeral material in construction. These buildings would need consecutive rebuilding because of the rotting material (Biers 99). Also, during this time the nomadic practice of cremation was adopted in Athens in the 11th century (Biers 97). Hall expresses this change of cremation that started in the Iron Age as a consequence of Nordic’s population presence in Greek society or at least their communication with Greeks (Hall 284). Could cremation have worked as a cheaper and quicker alternative to

The ancient Romans believed that the dead belonged to a collective body of gods or spirits, called manes (spirits of the dead). To the Romans it was essential to be given a proper funeral and a tomb, which would serve as a home for the spirit of the deceased. The Romans believed that if the soul was not laid to rest properly, it would become restless and will haunt its home due to its discomfort. The term “justa facere”, meaning “to do the right things”, commonly refers to the respect for the rites of the dead. Ancient Roman funerary practices are considered very systematic and it was regulated that every roman citizen had the right to a respectful funeral despite their social standing. Roman funerary practices included two different types of religious rituals, either burial or cremation, both of which were considered apart of ancient roman tradition. Roman cemeteries were located outside of the “Pomerium”, a sacred open space located inside the walls surrounding the Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Capitoline Hill and Quirinal Hill in the early ancient city. As it was illegal to bury the deceased within the “Pomerium” within the city walls, The Appian Way, the oldest highway, is lined with numerous tombs of the most aristocratic families,

The Ancient Romans believed and carried out the sacred traditions of taking care of the dead by disposing those by either burying or cremating the body, it was also ensured that citizens were promised a formal burial. However, the social status of whoever died would also depend on how the body was disposed and treated which helped establish the difference between the Patricians and Plebs. It was widely believed by the Romans that death established the great segregation of body and soul.

The ancient Romans believed that the dead belonged to a collective body of gods or spirits, called manes (spirits of the dead). To the Romans it was essential to be given a proper funeral and a tomb, which would serve as a home for the spirit of the deceased. The Romans believed that if the soul was not laid to rest properly, it would become restless and will haunt its home due to its discomfort. The term “justa facere”, meaning “to do the right things”, commonly refers to the respect for the rites of the dead. Ancient Roman funerary practices are considered very systematic and it was regulated that every roman citizen had the right to a respectful funeral despite their social standing. Roman funerary practices included two different types of religious rituals, either burial or cremation, both of which were considered apart of ancient roman tradition. Roman cemeteries were located outside of the “Pomerium”, a sacred open space located inside the walls surrounding the Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Capitoline Hill and Quirinal Hill in the early ancient city. As it was illegal to bury the deceased within the “Pomerium” city walls, The Appian Way, the oldest highway, is lined with numerous tombs of the most aristocratic families, were as the poorer citizens were buried in the “Potter’s Field”, which was located in the eastern part of the Esquiline Hill. Cemeteries were

The ancient Egyptians relied heavily on their religion. In addition to their religion, the Osiris myth was famous among the people because it implied that any deceased individual can get to the afterlife. The deceased would endure a ritual of mummification. Their organs