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Ancient Roman Burial Sites

Almost everything we know about Ancient Rome comes from the discoveries of

archeologists. Even in the modern world, many new sites are still being discovered. We have

learned about ancient Roman traditions, entertainment, lifestyle, diseases, and many more

aspects that give us an insight into Roman life.

The Romans believed that the soul cannot rest until the body is laid to rest. The rites after

death are very important to the Romans. In fact, if an ancient Roman citizen found a dead body,

they were obligated to perform the necessary rites. Burial was the Romans first method of

dealing with the dead, then they began cremation, while continuing with burial. There are

specific rules for each step of the Roman funeral. It is said to signify the transition from life to

death. Following the proper rules for ceremonies and burial avoid having a “malicious spirit”

rising from the underworld. Five steps of the Roman funeral are known to us today: procession,

cremation and burial, eulogy, feast, and commemoration.

The first aspect of the funeral was the procession. It was recognized by loud noise and a

parade-like ceremony. The wealthier the dead, the more extravagant the procession. A large part

of the procession was formed by “professional mourners.’ These were women with no

relationship to the deceased’s family, who were payed to attend. According to ancient funeral

accounts, they would act like the death meant so much to them. They would supposedly wail

loudly, rip out their hair, and scratch their faces in distress from the loss. The more professional

mourners, the wealthier the deceased. Clients of the deceased, also known as freedmen,

participated in the procession to show respect. Actors with imagines, or ancestral masks, formed

the next part of the procession. They would act as deceased ancestors of the family, because

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ancestor worship was so important to the Romans. The corpse was transported in a bed-like tray

called a bier. The family of the deceased was at the end of the procession. The processions was

often bigger than the procession for a wedding.

The next part was cremation and burial. During cremation, the body was taken to the

necropolis and placed on a funeral pyre. There it was burned, and all remaining pieces were

interned in a funerary urn. During burial, the body would be placed inside a sarcophagus, which

was more elaborate based on the wealth of the family. No possessions were buried with the body.

In Roman Egypt, a lifelike painting of the deceased was attached on the sarcophagus before

burial. Cremation and burial continued to go in and out of popularity, but eventually burial was

the most common.

The third rite is the eulogy. A eulogy would be offered at the funeral by a family

member, but only if the deceased was an important member of society and their families. The

eulogies were much like the kind we see today.

The fourth rite is the feast. No funeral was complete without the ritual feast. It represents

the family’s ability to move forward, and told the deceased that they could continue on to the

underworld. After this step, the deceased had officially entered into the underworld. Although

feasting doesn’t seem like such an important funeral rite, it represented the final step from lilfe

into death.

Commemoration is the last rite, which happens after the deceased is gone. It is the

family’s way of showing that they still remember the lost. The Romans set apart certain days

throughout the year to remember loved ones. From February 13-21, called the Parentalia,

families take time to honor all lost ancestors. Each individual family also had their own special

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days to remember family and friends they lost. One belief of the Romans is that if the deceased

family gathered around their tomb, and made an offering, this would activate the “shade.” The

shade (spirit) may remember some specific details about its life, rather than continuing to float

around the underworld with no idea that they existed. Each part of the funeral is very important,

and it was very important that all were carried out correctly.

Most of the time when an ancient burial site is discovered, everything seems to follow the

steps of the funeral, but some discoveries have been made where that is not the case. We have

learned so much about ancient Rome through the burial sites, and two unusual sites stood out to

me.

The first was discovered at a Roman necropolis in France around 2014. Hundreds of

human graves were discovered, including five skeletons with iron shackles around their

ankles/wrists/necks. The necropolis was located 250 meters away from a very popular

amphitheater in ancient Rome. These shackles suggest that those five were slaves. Slaves were

often forces to fight each other to the death in Roman gladiatorial contests. Based on its location

near an amphitheater, archaeologists suggest that the slaves might have been forced to fight each

other. Researchers are now trying to determine the cause of death, which could give us more

information about the life of slaves in ancient times.

The second was a giant. The first complete ancient skeleton of a person with gigantism

has been discovered in Rome. He was 6 feet 8 inches tall in a time where men averaged about 5

½ feet. To verify gigantism, the researchers found evidence of skull damage consistent with

pituitary tumor, causing the human growth hormone to overproduce. We can learn a lot about

how this disease has changed over time based on this skeleton. This is a major discovery that will

help us to prepare for the future of this disease.

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Archeologists continue to search for information about ancient Rome. Everything they

discover helps us understand what life was like. These two specific sites, along with may others,

are important in helping us to understand the past and prepare for the future.

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Works Cited

1. http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel/html/romedead.html

2. https://www.ancient.eu/article/96/the-roman-funeral/

3. http://www.history.com/news/shackled-skeletons-unearthed-at-roman-necropolis-in-

france

4. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121102-gigantism-ancient-skeleton-

archaeology-history-science-rome/

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