Roman Beliefs About The Afterlife

The Greeks believed that the importance of where you go depends on the manner of your death, the behavior you had while still alive and how you were buried could affect where or what happens to you. This is similar to reincarnation because ideas are that the way you act while you are alive, conclude what type of person you are in the future. The way you are buried affect what type of person you become in your future life, such as rather you are buried or cremated. The differences between the Greeks thoughts and mine are that when you die in the Greeks thought, you go to the Underworld if you were judged to be “bad” and if you were “good” you went to Elysium. In reincarnation, some people can go to different places or you can be reincarnated. Another difference is that the Greeks believed in the underworld, if you traveled there your loved ones would be there and available to talk to. With reincarnation you are reborn into a completely different life and are unaware of who your past family was or any relation to your past life

Since ancient civilizations people have been trying to explain what goes on after death. Throughout history, many cultures have had different theories about what happens. Two distinguished ideas of where people go after death are the underworld and Hell. The idea of the underworld came from the Greeks and Romans. A few famous works by the Greeks and Romans that talk about the underworld are The Iliad, The Aeneid, and, The Odyssey. A famous work that discusses Hell is Dante's Inferno. Hell is an accepted part of the Christianity religion and taught all over the world. The two beliefs are very similar but some distinct differences can be seen.

There were many ways that the Ancient Egyptian society and the Mesopotamian society were similar yet at the same time they were very different. Egyptians and Sumerians agreed on religion in a sense that both cultures were polytheistic. However, the relationships between the gods and goddesses were different between the Sumerians and Egyptians. This essay will discuss those differences in culture, religion and the viewpoints on death and afterlife.

Although the way in which Rome and Greece carried out their judgement differed, the judgement of both societies played a key role in determining the final destination of a soul in the afterlife. The picture in Document 1 depicts the weighing of Hunefer’s heart, which was taken from a page in the Book of the Dead, a collection of ancient Egyptian texts. This shows how judgement would be carried out using a scale that weighed an individual's heart to reflect upon their previous life. If the heart was heavier than a feather, then they would be sent to an eternity of suffering since it meant that they had lived an unjust life. If they lived a moral life, their heart would be lighter than the feather, and the individual was granted entrance to paradise; having a very different experience than others who had not passed judgement. Similarly to Egypt, ancient Rome had a form of judgment that determined one's fate in the afterlife. As shown in Document 2, instead of a scale determining an individual's fate in the afterlife, the Judges of the Dead Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthys analyzed each Roman’s life on Earth. These three gods judged the individual based off how they lived their lives, which determined where their final destination would be in the afterlife. In Document 7 it says individuals were “judged [i.e. by the Judges of the Dead- Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthus] and depart to 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.

During all parts of the existence of Rome, burials and funerals were extremely important, even more so than weddings. The Romans believed that without a proper burial, a spirit would cause unhappiness for those living. While rites varied throughout different periods, traditions remained vastly, and always had the same importance.

Both Etruscan and Roman tomb sculpture function to memorialize the departed allowing them to move on from the world of the living and seeks to comfort those who have lost the ones they love. The two societies have differing practices in regards to death and therefore sculptures concerning the subject are somewhat different with a few identifiable similarities. While both societies seek to comfort the living and commemorate the dead this is achieved through different approaches. The Etruscan Sarcophagus with reclining couple from Cerveteri, Italy and the Mummy of Artemidorus from Roman Egypt are two examples of contrasting representations of the dead. When analyzing tomb sculpture one of the main questions is whether the work adapts a retrospective approach (presentation of the deceased as they were in life) or a prospective one (the viewpoint of looking forward to life beyond the grave). While the Etruscan sarcophagus gives a more retrospective memorialization through the depiction of the couple in a state of regularity the Roman Mummy of Artemidorus presents a more prospective approach concerning the deceased through the emphasis of funerary practices.

The preparation of the deceased was a very important role in funerals for Romans. Certain guidelines were followed at this time of the process. If one was near the point of death, the closest relation who was present

The Hindu’s believed that the soul went through an endless cycle of life and death. The Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and Hindus believed that death was inevitable, however, they believed there were

However, there are many different ideas out there - ancient Roman beliefs and atheist beliefs are just two of them. After comparing and contrasting these two beliefs, it is evident that they show two very different ends of the spectrum. Ancient Romans prepare their loved ones for death, while atheists would rather not bother. Romans believed in the afterlife, while atheists do not. Lastly, Romans believed that you could get a second chance at life, while atheists do not. While no one truly knows what happens after we die, it is certainly something that all different kinds of people speculate

The Romans, however, were worried about what happens after death and were very frightened of being haunted by people who had not been buried properly. This was completely different to the Celts who – at one battle described by Tacitus – “offered themselves to a voluntary death”. When the cultures began to merge we can see a dramatic increase in the number of buried bodies. The vast majority of these bodies are being found within relatively few cemeteries and the remaining burials are widely dispersed in small groups. There also distinctive regional and chronological patterns with the ways people were disposed of. For instance there is a huge amount of evidence for rural burial practice in the South-East and in the North-West there was a discrepant burial zone emerging. As well as this, there was emerging patterns of burial selectivity concerned with gender and age.

During the age of Ancient Rome, there was a strong belief in gods, spirits and the afterlife. It was believed that Romans were pessimistic and negative towards death and the afterlife but after extensive research, another opinion has arisen. This newer theory states that Romans were in actual fact fearful of the afterlife since it was such an unknown. Funerary practises were ritualistic and important but they did not have a pessimistic view on the afterlife and death.

The importance of burial plays a great part during the time period of The Ancient Romans as they had a strong emotional attachment to the ceremonial burial of the deceased and considered it such an honourable achievement to partake in such a religious ritual such as the funeral and burial. The Romans also wanted to demonstrate iusta facere towards the dead - the great deal of respect they had as well as the rights they had as the departed.

Egyptian and Greek culture both had vivid interpretations of immortality as seen through their literary writings and their treatment of everyday life, but both ideals are still expressed in present society. Slight overlaps are seen in Egyptian and Greek cultures in their views of life as a whole. However, when it came to the importance of life and what was required in life these cultures diverged drastically

Throughout human history, ideas about the afterlife have shaped the psychological ideals of the societies that come into contact with them. Though some might argue that it is science, specifically, that has shaped our way of life beyond all else, this is too narrow an idea because science has only recently become a part of many people’s daily lives. Beliefs about the afterlife have shaped the psychological ideals of whole societies as well as altering the daily lives of the individuals within them. Greece will be examined from the beginning of the Bronze Age in