Introduction
Death in Ancient Rome had many differences compared to modern society. Death was arguably more frequent, and even part of the entertainment of Ancient Roman society. There were different rituals and different beliefs in Medieval Roman society.
Funerary Rituals:
The Romans believed that it was crucial for the living and the dead not to mix and that death would be harmful to the living. There were ‘pomeria’, which were boundaries that surrounded cities. It was only outside the ‘pomeria’ where dead bodies could be buried. Family members would isolate themselves from society until after the mourning period ended. Roman graves first appeared in the 10th century BC, and contained both urn cremations and burials. Cremations were the most common during the 1st and 2nd centuries BC and were only conducted by close family members, and it was also their job to clean and collect the bones. In wealthier families, urns were placed in elaborate family tombs while the poor used a communal columbarium, which were underground chambers that stored the ashes of the dead.
Beliefs
There were no particular enforced beliefs about the afterlife in ancient Rome. However, the general belief was that the dead would live in the Underworld. influences of Greek culture can also be seen throughout historical records such as poetry. An example of this is the Aeneid by Virgil. The gods associated with the underworld, such as Pluto and Persephone were worshipped widely by Romans, due to the belief that they would join the "Di Manes" which were minor deities that represent the spirits of the deceased. There were festivals to celebrate the souls of the deceased. The “Di Manes” were worshipped at Parentalia, which was a nine-day festival honouring family ancestors and was held from the 13th to 21st of February each year. Emperors of ancient Rome were often deied after death through a process known as apotheosis or deication and Julius Caesar became the rst Roman mortal to have gone through apotheosis, followed by some other emperors including Emperor Caligula and Emperor Commodus. Emperor Augustus refused deication during his lifetime.
Epitaphs
The lives and deaths of the citizens of ancient Rome are commemorated by epitaphs. These were used by individuals of all classes. Romans believed that a person's presence was living on in the hearts of those they left behind when they died. The permanence of epitaphs prolonged their memory after death. Greek and Roman epitaphs usually contain formulaic language including one’s name, age, and other information. Some epitaphs include addresses such as ‘hospes’ (guest) to encourage others to read it. Ancient tombs and epitaphs have helped conserve the information of the people to this day and serve as a valuable primary source.
Siwool and Max, NLCS Jeju
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