Funeral Customs of the Ancient Egyptians

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Funeral Customs of the Ancient Egyptians
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Readings Question 1

• Which culture was the first to record a morality
  of group life based on internal conscience rather
  than on external authority supported by force?

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Readings Question 2

• Who is Osiris?

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Circle of Necessity

• soul makes a 3000 year long journey and returns
  to the body
• once reunited the whole person would live with
  the gods
• created the need for embalming

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Readings Question 3

• What did the Egyptians believe was the focus of
  the universe?

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Readings Question 4

• Describe the Egyptian concept of life after
  death.
• offerings to the dead
• perpetual care
• tombs, coffins, funeral treasures

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Readings Question 5

• What are dry burials? What was their purpose?
• The history of embalming will be covered in the
  Embalming I course.

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Coffins

• Sarcophagi massive coffins from a single mass
  of stone to protect from grave robbers
• Sarco flesh
• Phagus eaters

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Arthropoid
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Readings Question 6

• Describe what was done when the head of an
  Egyptian household died. Include all elements
  from the actual time of death to interment.

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Funeral Customs of the Ancient Greeks
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Readings Question 7

• What is the Cult of Dionysius and Elysian
  fields?

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Readings Question 8

• How did the Athenians tread the dead on the
  battlefield?

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Readings Question 9

• Describe how the Greeks prepare their dead for
  interment.

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Greek Funeral Procession

• Consisted of
• deceased placed on a bier
• female mourners
• fraternity members
• hired dirge singers

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Cremation

• began 1000 BC
• at no time was earth burial completely abandoned
• power of the flame to set the soul free
• ashes contained personal or spirit
  characteristics

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Coffins and Tombs

• Baked clay, cypress wood, stone
• Classification of tombs
• stelae (shafts)
• kiones (columns)
• trapazae (square-cut)
• naida (temple-like)

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Funeral Feast

• one of the final steps
• broke the fast
• sacrifices kept a connection between the living
  and the dead

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Funeral Customs of the Ancient Romans
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Early Death Beliefs

• animistic view
• mystery cults
• Epicurians
• Christianity

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Burial Customs

• cremation and burial
• sanitation issues
• columbaria
• burial societies

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Readings Question 10

• In Roman times, if a person died in the presence
  of family, how was the body prepared?

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Readings Question 11

• Who were the pollinctores, libitinarius,
  designator and praeco?

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Roman Funeralis

• Readings question 12
• In the Roman funeral procession, where was the
  body taken? What type of rituals were performed
  there?

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Constantine the Great(314 AD 379 AD)

• first Christian emperor
• management of funerary
• behavior became more
• within the jurisdiction of the
• church

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Edict of Toleration

• Galerius 311 AD
• Christians at this time were refusing to worship
  the gods
• allowed them to practice their faith without fear
  of persecution, as along as their actions did not
  go against the common good

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Influence of Roman Burial Practices

• occupational models
• Roman undertaker
• precursor to modern day funeral service law