Greeks and Romans Study

Funeralis

A torchlight procession used during funerals

Greeks were the first ancient culture to?

Use cremation

The Greeks believed that death was?

Bad and evil

Dionysius is?

Greek god of wine and worship

Who is Hades?

The god of the underworld

Who is Charon the Ferry?

The one to take soul across the river of Styx to the afterlife

What is a Obol?

A coin placed in the mouth of the deceased

What are Sumptuary Laws?

Laws that controlled how much people spent on a funeral

What is River Styx?

A river in the underworld that brings souls into the afterlife

What is the Abode of death?

The realm of gloom and darkness

What are the Elysian Fields?

A section of the underworld where heroes/soldiers go to rest

What is a Bier?

Where the dead are carried by friends and family

Suttee

Self inflicted or group inflicted cremation of a Hindu widow

What happened at the funeral feast?

The bereaved broke the fast they have been keeping

How was funeral preparations made in the Greeks?

The preparations were often made by the individual before their demise

What were coffins and tombs made of?

Stone, clay, and wood

What are the types of tombs?

Stela, Kiones, Trapezae, and Naidia

What does Secular mean?

Non-Religous

What is Animism?

The belief that non human things possess a spiritual essence

What is the western culture biased on?

Roman and Greek

What did Romans think will happen if offerings were discontinued?

The soul will cease to be happy and might even become a sport of evil to harm those who neglected the proper rites

What were the mystery cults of Greece and the Oriental East?

The hope of joining with the cult god in a pleasant, wondrous or ecstatic existence in eternity

What did the influence of Christianity do for the Romans?

They started having more interment burials because of the resurrection of Christ

What was cremation replaced in the Roman Empire?

Burial because of the spread of Oriental mystery cults

What is Extramural burial?

Burial outside of city walls for sanitation reasons

Who is Linitina?

Roman goddess of funerals and death

What is libitinarius?

Head undertaker and modern funeral director; secular role

What are pollinctores?

Funeral attendants who prepared corpses for burial

What is a designator?

Director of funeral percession

What is the praeco?

Professional crier who summoned the participants to a public funeral

What is a Secular role?

The public display of status and family legacy rather than religious observance

What are burial societies?

Associations that collected dues from members to cover proper funeral and burial

What are mourning costumes?

Dark togas worn to a funeral

What years were embalming used in Egypt?

3200 B.C.- 650 A.D.

Who rejected embalming practices?

The Christians and Arabs