Across time death has had different meanings in different cultures and thus, each developed their own beliefs, rituals and traditions surrounding death. Traditionally, death has been seen as the bridge between the mortal world and the immortal, although the existence of an immortal world has often been heavily speculated.
Looking back into the ancient world, the Greeks believed that the soul would leave the body after death, and travel to the Underworld. This journey from the land of the living to that of the dead was thought to have many sections and there was a widespread belief that death rituals performed in the mortal world affected this journey. For example, families would place a coin in the deceased person’s mouth or over their eyes, as payment for the ferryman who would transport their body across the rivers of the Underworld. If they did not complete this ritual, it was thought that the ferryman would not carry their body in his boat, and the soul would be trapped between the land of the living and the dead for eternity. Families also carved gorgons into the tombstones to ward off evil from the deceased’s body, to give them a smooth journey in the Underworld. The dead would be gifted luxury items, such as jewellery and pottery, and buried with them. These items were thought to be usable in Underworld, and families would make offerings to the tombs of their deceased to pay their respects and prevent bad luck. The Greeks also mourned their dead by creating vases depicting the mourning process, emphasising how many people cared for and grieved them. It was important that the dead be remembered by periodic visits to grave sites, naturally accompanied by offerings. Grave sites were often adorned with commemorative statues and monuments to mark them, honour the dead, and ensure their continued remembrance.
Similar sentiments existed in Ancient Rome, as it is thought they adopted most of their death rituals and beliefs from the Greeks and the Etruscans. However, while Greek burial rituals centred largely around ensuring the dead would be prosperous in the afterlife, Roman traditions placed more emphasis on solidifying the memory of the deceased in the minds of the living. Romans kept the dead body in the family home for at least seven days, to provide optimal lamenting time. Although poorer Romans and slaves could not afford such lavish, extended funerals, wealthy citizens would put on plays to honour the accomplishments of the deceased and deliver eulogies at the burial or cremation. Men would wear dark clothing and women would display elaborate grieving, such as wailing and harming themselves. This all occurred to exhibit care for the dead and ensure their continued remembrance, alluding to immortality in memory. Ancient ideas surrounding death have permeated throughout later religions and rituals, such as the belief in an afterlife and good and evil. The notion that the actions of a loved one in the mortal world can affect the deceased can be seen in later history in the belief in purgatory, the idea that donations to the Church will help the dead reach heaven faster. Many modern Western funeral practices are derived from ancient ones, such as eulogies, wearing dark clothes during mourning periods, decorating graves and the importance of remembering our deceased loved ones.
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