Funeral Customs of the Ancient Romans Flashcards
What are the Romans mainly known for?
Their bureaucracy - contributions to science and art of administration
The doctrine which holds that the soul of man, although separated at death, hovers around the place of burial for its continued peace and happiness, requiring constant attention from the descendants in the form of offerings of food and drink
Animistic View
What would happen should the offerings be discontinued?
The soul would be unhappy and become an evil spirit, bringing harm upon those who had neglected the offerings
With this philosophy, the spiritual aspects of the afterlife were added to Roman beliefs, including the hop of joining with the cult god in a pleasant, wondrous, or ecstatic existence in eternity. It also brought about the concept of punishment and unhappiness for the evil
Mystery cults of the oriental east
A more philosophical conception that the body and the soul, composed of atoms, simply disintegrated at death resulting in a ‘live for the day’ philosophy
Epicurean Influence
The result of this was the belief that the immortality of the soul that in the future would reunite with a risen body, and that every human body was the temple of the holy spirit and should not be desecrated in any way
Influence of Christianity
Why did cremation come to an end in Rome?
The mystery cults and the rise of Christianity
Why did the Mystery Cults forbid cremation?
Their abhorrence of fire
What did Christianity emphasize on that caused the end of cremation?
Hallowed nature of the body as the temple of the Holy Ghost
Burial outside of the population centers along roadways done for sanitary reasons
Extramural Interment
Burial inside of the church because it was felt that the dead Christians should be buried within their church
Intramural Interment
The poor, or Misera plebs, became a function of the state, bringing about the rise of these
Burial Societies
What did the burial societies do?
People joined these and pooled money together to pay for people’s funerals
What is the origins of the insurance industry?
Burial Societies
List the Funeral Functionaries in Roman Society
Libitina Libitinarius Pollinctores Designator Praeco
Goddess of corpses and funerals
Libitina
Operated from the temple of Libitina
Supervising secular funeral director charging for his services
Dominated and directed the funeral
Libitinarius
Slave or employee of Libitinarius
Concerned with limited preservation
Hold the remains for about a week in state
Evidence of cavity evisceration and pickling for the rich
Pollinctores
Master of Ceremonies
Subordinate to Libitinarius who took charge of all funeral professions
Designator
Summoned the participants to a public Roman Funeral
Praeco
A hired actor to portray the deceased during the funeral procession
Greet the mourners and thank those that attended
Buffoon
What time of day were the majority of funeral processions held?
Night time, with a torchlight procession
What time of day were high status funeral processions held?
Day time, still with torchbearers
Where was a funeral oration held?
Forum
Usually women hired for the funeral who shrieked and beat their breasts, tearing their hair and garments, and scratching their faces
Professional Mourners
A triple ceremonial farewell or calling out of the dead as they circled the deceased three times
Conclamatio mortis
Who extended municipal authority to include the public disposal of any Roman citizen who needed but could not afford a funeral
Constantine the Great
Who replaced the Libitinarius?
the Decani
Why was Libitinarius replaced?
He refused service to the poor
Who would provide a bier, coffin, and grave without payment?
the Decani
The Decani would provide a religious procession which included these
1 cross bearer
8 monks
3 Acolytes
Bier bearers
Sumptuary laws in this period prohibited what?
Excessive spending and overcharging for funeral paraphernalia
Constantine took over the burial societies and turned them into what?
Purgatorial Societies
Purgatorial societies basically did what?
Collected offerings to save the sinner’s souls from purgatory
Government by religion
Theocracy
No difference between government and the majority religion
Theocracy
Church state government dominated by the Roman Catholic Church with the Decani as bureaucrats
Thoecracy
The emerging role of this was a major influence of Roman Burial Practices
The secular undertaker and the assignment of specific tasks
