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Death and Funerals

Most of the Romans believed that the spirits of the dead were rowed across a mythological river called the Styx, to the underworld. There, the spirit was said to be judged whether it was to go to heaven Elysium, or hell Tartarus. Funerals were held to prepare the spirit for this journey. To pay the ferry fare across the Styx, a coin was placed underneath the tongue.

At the funeral, the corpse was laid on a portable bed called the litter, and eight men carried this bed to the forum. Praeficae .(professional mourners), musicians and torch-carriers followed behind. During the republican times, the relatives rode in front of the procession, wearing mourning robes and death masks. When the procession arrived at the forum, there was a speech in praise of the dead person. The corpse was then carried to the grave. The grave had to be outside of town by law. The coffins were made of stone or marble called sarcophagus; these were usually decorated elaborately, with scenes from the daily life, hunts or battles.

Occasionally, the corpse was cremated instead of being buried. They dug a pit in the ground, filled it with wood and burned the body. When the fire had died down, they filled the pit with earth.

In more elaborate funerals, the body was cremated in a pyre, a ceremonial fire. Food and clothes were thrown into the flames by the relatives, in case the spirit needed them in the afterlife. When the fire died down, wine was poured over it. Then, the ashes were collected into a jar called an urn. Occasionally, the urn was kept in a columbarium, which was a special underground chamber

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