In almost every society known to man, the dead are treated with an equal balance of respect and fear. The beliefs pertaining afterlife and spirits differ from society to society, but what remains constant is the desire to celebrate the life of the deceased, and to treat the body and the name of the dead with respect, which is often achieved through funerary rites and proceedings. In Rome during the 1st and 2nd Century, there was a careful balance of the respect held for the dead and the fear involved, as they believed that the dead had the power to introduce negativity to the air around them, if treated disrespectfully. As a result of this, funeral rites were well followed and were carried out by those from all walks of society, whether rich
…show more content…
Images of such have been discovered in Latin poetry of the theme of the dead. One of the most well-known poems about the dead, Catullus expresses his sadness that he after his extensive journey to pay his respects to his brother, who died abroad, he can only do so to the ashes (Catullus, specific date unknwon). It was only much later that inhumation or burial became an accepted process, as the attitude towards continuous care for the dead became popular. The place cremation or burial was required to lay outside the pomerium, the inner city limits, in order to ensure the city was not tainted by the dead (Salzman, 2007). The ceremonial funeral rites began at the home of the deceased, continuing outside the city and the funeral procession was the transition between the two sites. If music was played it a specialized collegium of musicians would perform. The full extent of the group is unknown but both the tuba and the corn were noted as being included by Horace (Horace, 35-30BC). As the procession reached the city limits there would be an allocated space in the cemetery for the already prepared funeral pyre and the body would be placed upon the pyre with the guests surrounding it. There are two common forms of spoken rites at a Roman ceremony, one of which is the nenia (Suter, 2008), the chant, which occurred at funerals for people of all social standings. The second of which is the eulogy, …show more content…
The first of these were the dress, as each individual was dressed in their best outfit, in accordance with their job or the role they played in day to day Roman living. Men would wear togas and those of noble rankings or emperor titles would have purple items of dress as well as their togas. This would allow the deceased to be easily recognized if they were a public or popular figure, acknowledging the hard work achieved during their lifetime, most likely in the political scene if they were well known. The second of these was the possibility of a public eulogy during the funeral procession from their house and out of the pomerium. It was during this procession, which would be directed towards the forum accordingly, that the group would halt in from of the forum and a figure would read a public eulogy whilst standing upon the Rostra. Often this figure would be a young politician who wanted to make a name for himself, and saw this public speech as opportunity to show his rhetorical skills whilst paying his respects to a figure of higher standing. These two differing features for those of a higher social standing allow for acknowledgement of their standings during their lives without belittling those who did not achieve similar
Images of such have been discovered in Latin poetry of the theme of the dead. One of the most well-known poems about the dead, Catullus expresses his sadness that he after his extensive journey to pay his respects to his brother, who died abroad, he can only do so to the ashes (Catullus, specific date unknwon). It was only much later that inhumation or burial became an accepted process, as the attitude towards continuous care for the dead became popular. The place cremation or burial was required to lay outside the pomerium, the inner city limits, in order to ensure the city was not tainted by the dead (Salzman, 2007). The ceremonial funeral rites began at the home of the deceased, continuing outside the city and the funeral procession was the transition between the two sites. If music was played it a specialized collegium of musicians would perform. The full extent of the group is unknown but both the tuba and the corn were noted as being included by Horace (Horace, 35-30BC). As the procession reached the city limits there would be an allocated space in the cemetery for the already prepared funeral pyre and the body would be placed upon the pyre with the guests surrounding it. There are two common forms of spoken rites at a Roman ceremony, one of which is the nenia (Suter, 2008), the chant, which occurred at funerals for people of all social standings. The second of which is the eulogy, …show more content…
The first of these were the dress, as each individual was dressed in their best outfit, in accordance with their job or the role they played in day to day Roman living. Men would wear togas and those of noble rankings or emperor titles would have purple items of dress as well as their togas. This would allow the deceased to be easily recognized if they were a public or popular figure, acknowledging the hard work achieved during their lifetime, most likely in the political scene if they were well known. The second of these was the possibility of a public eulogy during the funeral procession from their house and out of the pomerium. It was during this procession, which would be directed towards the forum accordingly, that the group would halt in from of the forum and a figure would read a public eulogy whilst standing upon the Rostra. Often this figure would be a young politician who wanted to make a name for himself, and saw this public speech as opportunity to show his rhetorical skills whilst paying his respects to a figure of higher standing. These two differing features for those of a higher social standing allow for acknowledgement of their standings during their lives without belittling those who did not achieve similar