Thanatology Exam 1

Thanatology Exam 1 / Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science / Exam Date: 10/11/24

Undertaker

Original term for mortician

Those whose occupation included responsibility to organize and facilitate funeral activities

Used by some for the term funeral director

Sociology

Examines humans social interactions and social groups

“Social groups” did it first, traditions

Effects on funeral practices and disposition

Culture

Shared rules/ideas/beliefs by society on living and dying

Enculturation (socialization)

The lifelong method by which social values are internalized and learned

Direct learning

Deliberate instruction and formal learning

Indirect learning

Observation and informal learning

Innovation

Process

Introducing a new idea or object to a culture

Through discovery or invention

Customs

Social behavior as dictated by traditions of the people

Culture helps shape _______ (6 answers)

Norms

Mores (must-behavior)

Taboos

Folkways

Laws

Rules

Ethnicity

Culture heritage or identity of a group

Based on factors such as language or country of origin

Subculture

Smaller identifiable culture

Subdivision

Unique traits to itself

Cultural universalism

Common traits or patterns found in all cultures

Cultural relativism

The emotional attitude that all cultures are equal and pertinent

Culture shock

Feelings of disorientation, uncertainty and even fear that people experience when they encounter unfamiliar cultural practices

Ethnocentrism

Emotional attitude

One’s own race, nation, group, or culture is superior to all others

Humanistic funeral rite

A funeral rite that is devoid of any religious connotation

Adaptive funeral rite

Adjusted to the needs and wants of those directly involved

Pagan culture

Follows a polytheistic religion

The Ancient Egyptians’ death beliefs

Judgment

• Soul

• Up to 42 gods judge soul

After judgment

• Good: the “Field of Reeds”

  • Mirrored mortal life

  • Reunite bodily elements

• Bad: eternal misery/punishment

Osiris (Ancient Egyptians)

God of the underworld/dead

Judge of the dead

“Book of the dead” (Ancient Egyptians)

Directions to underworld

Ra (Ancient Egyptians)

God of the Sun

Sun=center of universe

Anubis (Ancient Egyptians)

God of embalming

Human form

Head: jackal

Ancient Egyptian Priests were modeled after ___________

The gods

Soul journey (Ancient Egyptians)

3000 year

Around the sun

Through the underworld

Need for embalming (Ancient Egyptians)

Needed to last 3000 years

Reunite bodily elements

Physical afterlife

Roles of a tomb (Ancient Egyptians)

Protect the body

Sacrifices/offerings for the trip and afterlife

Visions of gods (Ancient Egyptians)

Skin of gold

Bones of silver

Hair of limestone

Often animal heads

Ker-heb (Ancient Egyptians)

Priest

Supervisor of embalming

Modeled after Anubis

Mummification of upper class (Ancient Egyptians)

Evisceration (removing organs)

• Heart stayed with body

Canopic jars

Wash cavities and body

Pack cavity with spices, resins, & natron (salt)

Wrap in linen

Canopic jars

Made of alabaster, limestone, basalt, clay

Store viscera of the deceased

Middle class mummifcation (Ancient Egyptians)

Cedar oil into visceral cavities

No evisceration

Natron

Lower class mummication (Ancient Egyptians)

Chemical submersion for 70 days

Sand burial

Sarcophagus (Ancient Egyptians)

Early egyptian coffins:

• Stone cut from a single mass

• Heavy for protection

• Anthropoid

Modern uses:

• Massive copper and bronze caskets

Etymology of sarcophagus

Sarco: flesh

Phagus: eater

Anthropoid

Human-shaped

Ancient Greeks’ death beliefs

Disembodied/shadowy afterlife

• Early belief

  • Bodily existence under the earth (Underworld)

• Later belief

  • Shadowy existence of disembodied souls

Judgment

• Good

  • Elysian fields

    • Greek heaven

  • Cult of Dionysius

• Bad

  • Suffering

• Forgotten

  • Wander in the land of Hades

River of Styx (Ancient Greeks)

Cross River of Styx to reach judgement

“Cross the River of Styx, pass the three headed dog and you’ll be in the underworld”

Give money to Charon

Honey cake for Cerberus

Preparation (Ancient Greeks)

Family members

• Female

• Or next of kin choosing

Set features

Warm bath

Dressed

Repose

Anoint

Oil, perfumes, and spices

For Ancient Greeks, embalming was __________

Infrequent

Time of repose (Ancient Greeks)

“Seeing is believing”

Watch body to see if it starts decomposing to make sure they are actually dead

Clothing of deceased and mourners (Ancient Greeks)

Deceased: white

Mourners: black

Reasons flowers were woven into wreaths (Ancient Greeks)

Warning

• Hung outside the door

Symbolism

• No beginning or end, memory forever

Funeral feast (Ancient Greeks)

End to the fast of the bereaved

Ancient Greek tradition

• Undertones of celebration

Middle ages

• Feast to welcome new heir to their new estate

Reasoning for sacrifices/offerings (Ancient Greeks)

Eternal memory

Serve the dead

Not to have with them in afterlife

What was sacrificed? (Ancient Greeks)

Horses and slaves

Foods and wines

Personal items

Chariots

Professional mourners (Ancient Greeks)

Fear that the dead might be jealous

Many ancient cultures

Hired persons (often women)

Insure adequate display of emotion

• Shriek & tear their hair and garments

Disposition (Ancient Greeks)

Cremations becomes popular

• Germanic (vikings) influence

Cremation to set soul free

Burial never obsolete

Some (or any) form of disposition was most respectful

Coffins (Ancient Greeks)

Clay (fired): earliest

Wood: cypress

Stone: most popular

• Heavy for protection

Stelae tombs

Shaft/upright

Kiones tombs

Column

Trapazae tombs

Square cut

Above ground

Naidia tombs

Temple like

Libitina (ancient romans)

Roman goddess of corpses and funerals

Libitinarius (ancient romans)

Head undertaker

Secular role model for FD

Conducted business at the temple of Libitine

Burial and cremation practices (ancient romans)

Republic times: burial and cremation

Turn to Caesar's empire

Constantine empire: back to burial

Edict of Toleration (ancient romans)

Religious freedom if you paid your taxes to Rome

Declaration made by government

Religious members shall not suffer religious persecution

Do not persecute for religious practice

Praeco (ancient romans)

Aka Crier

Summoned participants to a public funeral

Let others know the news

Obituaries

Funeralis (ancient romans)

Latin etymology

“Torchlit procession”

Common person: before dawn

High status: during day

Funeral masks (ancient romans)

Link to spiritual predeceased

Wear masks of past dead ones to other funerals

Sheol (ancient hebrews)

“Shadowy afterlife”

Soul lived

Connection of soul to living world

The soul would pass… (ancient hebrews)

• Righteous person

  • State of blessing

• Wicked person

  • State of punishment

Both would be raised for a day of final judgment

Embalming and cremation (ancient hebrews)

Embalming = infrequent

• OT records of embalming

• Jacob and Joseph

Cremation = desecration

• Bond of soul and body

• Postmortem punishment

• Rare circumstances during early plagues

Wake (Hebrew origin)

Sit with the deceased

Precaution against premature burial

Vigil-like during middle ages

Clothing that indicated mourning (ancient hebrews)

Nakedness/minimal dress

Bare feet

Heads draped

Physical displays of mourning (ancient hebrews)

Cutting flesh

Cutting tufts of hair

Shaving beards

Throwing onto each and sprinkling of dust

Disposition (ancient hebrews)

No coffin: simplistic

Buried family together

• Remain together in afterlife

Grave = symbol of relief and safety

• Fear of unburied and unvisited

Infrequent punishment

• Cremation or no burial

Ancient hebrew tombs (ancient hebrews)

Outskirts of cities

Simple, without inscription

• Poor

  • In the ground

• Wealthy

  • Cave, or rock formation

Cannon law (ecclesiastical) burial requirements (ancient christians)

Repose with lights beside

Blessed in holy water and incense

Cross on chest or hands crossed

Burial in consecrated (blessed) ground

Dignity to all deceased, even the poor

Bury the dead

One of the seven corporal works of mercy

At conclusion of the procession (ancient christians)

Food and money were given to the poor

“In lieu of flowers…”

Designated days when memorial masses were to be held

Farewell prayers were given

Catacombs (ancient christians)

Originated in ancient Rome as excavated cemeteries cut out of soft rock for the tombs of wealthy Christians

Became a place for religious rites to avoid persecution

Fossores (ancient christians)

Gravediggers, sextons, and cemeterians

In the catacombs during the period of early Christianity

Approx 300-450 AD

Constantine (ancient christians)

Welcomes Christianity

Burial and worship move within city limits

• Constantine’s precedent

• Importance of burial with martyrs and saints

• Burial in churches

Outlaws cremations

Ancient scandinavians (vikings) death practices

Practice cremation

As protection from the dead

Aid in freeing the spirit of the dead

Influence on modern customs (middle ages)

Mound burial (Ancient scandinavians (vikings))

Ancient viking custom

Deceased was placed in his boat

With items necessary for the spirit to maintain the position held on earth

Cremated

Prye then covered with earth