LESSON 5.9 What did ancient Romans believe about death?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to: • describe death and burial practices in ancient Rome • identify the signiýcance of commemorations of the dead as an expression of family identity and status.
Tune in Losing someone affects those left behind. In ancient Rome, how might people have remembered them? 1. What do you think most people, in modern times, believe about death? 2. Do religious people have different beliefs about death to people who are not religious? 3. Do you think different religions have different beliefs about death? 4. Did ancient Romans prefer cremation or burial? 5. Did they have anything like modern funerals?
SOURCE1 This stele (upright stone slab) served as the grave marker of a Roman family group of former slaves with a male child.
5.9.1 Beliefs and funeral customs Roman funerals and cemeteries show their beliefs about death, honouring the dead and the afterlife. Many Romans believed souls lived on after death and could be judged. They placed a coin in the dead person’s mouth to pay the ferryman to the underworld. Romans believed in caring for their dead. When someone died, their family mourned and called their name. The body was washed, dressed in clothes like a toga and prepared for burial. Funeral processions went from home to the cemetery. There were ceremonies with chanting, speeches and sometimes animal sacriýces. 5.9.2 Tombs and commemorations Through most of the period of the Roman Empire, Romans usually cremated bodies and kept ashes in urns. Later, burial became more common, often in grand tombs. Poor Romans had simple tombs. Those who could not afford them used catacombs, which are tunnels under the city. After funerals, Romans remembered the dead. They inscribed epitaphs on tombs and celebrated during the nine-day Parentalia festival. Wealthy families displayed portrait busts at home.
158 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator