Death and Burial(Rome) Flashcards
What happened in the first century AD that made Romans respect death
An aristocrat, Pliny, wrote to his friend regarding a ghost that haunted his house
How was Romans views on death similar to Greeks
-They gave everyone a proper burial
-They buried outside the city to remove pollution
Where were Romans buried
Along roads to the city
What would the wealthy do to ensure the dead are provided for
Invest heavily in funerals
What was the main option for the poor to ensure the dead are provided for
Funerary clubs
What are funerary clubs
Workers of the same trade would collectively pay for a funeral
What would happen in a larger funerary club
Members may be buried in a club tomb or burial ground
What would a relative of the dying person do at the moment of their death
Capture the last breath of the person with a kiss and call out their name
What happened to the deceased body in the preparation stage
Body was washed and perfumed and dressed in their nicest clothes
Why was coin placed in their motuh
Payment for the ferryman Charon
Where would the body be placed if they were wealthy
In the atrium
How long would a wealthy body stay in the atrium for
8 days
When did the funerary procession start
8 days after death
Who was involved in the funerary procession
-Family
-Slaves
-Freedmen
-Flute and horn players
-professional mourners
What would family wear at the funerary procession
Wax funerary masks of ancestors
What did the wax funerary masks symbolise
Acceptance of the deceased into the afterlife by ancestors
What would wealthy families pay for in funerary processions
Pay for actors to mimic the deceased, and mourners to join
What culture did the Romans take their customs of cremation and burials from?
The Greeks
What determined size of tomb
Family wealth
What would the extremely wealthy be placed into
Elaborately carved sarcophagi
What did the sarcophagi depict
Mythological battles and heros
What would be placed outside the house of the dead
A marble bust
What is the significance of a marble bust
To make sure they are not forgotten
What did they believe the marble busts turned into
Manes
What did they need to do to the Manes
Needed to be fed and left offerings at the tomb
Name two festivals for the dead and ancestors
The Parentalia and Lemuria
When and how long was the Parentalia
9 days between 13 and 21 February
What was forbidden on the Parentalia
-Marriage
-Official business
-Opening of temples
What sacrifice happened on the first day of the Parentalia and by who
A blood sacrifice by vestal virgins
What kind of festival was the Parentalia
Domestic festival centred around family
What happened on the first 8 days and the last day of the Parentalia
-First 8 days offerings were taken to tombs
-Last day family gathered for meals
What was the Parentalia a chance for
To undo wrongs that had taken place
When did the Lemuria take place
9th, 11th, 13th May
What was forbidden on the Lemuria
-Marriage
-Official business
-Opening of temples
What was the Lemuria’s purpose
Ward off evil spirits
How does Ovid describe the ritual
-Cleansing hands in spring water, take some black beans and throw them
-‘With the beans I throw I redeem myself and my family’
How many times do they say the ritual in the Lemuria
9 times without looking back
What do they ask the spirits to do by crying out in the Lemuria
Asks spirits to leave house by shouting ‘Ancestral spirit, depart’
What is the Atrium
Maim room of Roman domus where the family received friends and clients
What are Manes
‘the defied ancestors’, spirits of the dead
