Greek burial pratices

The fragment from Aristotele’s work (Fr. 526 Rose3) describing remarkable features of royal burial custom, dating back to the time of Trojan war, has been erroneously attributed to Crete and the Cretan politeia, while there are more reasons to attribute it to Cyprus and, consequently to the Cypriot politea. This correction, made in the edition of O. Gigon, has a great value for studying Cypriot kingship, because it derives some significant traits of royal burial custom from the epoch, when the Achaean immigrants familiarized themselves on the island, and it offers us to elucidate a number of archaeological realia dealing with royal burial and warrior culture of Cyprus during the time of city-kingdoms.

This paperwork refers to the three selected funeral inscriptions on the round altars from Carian
site Stratoniceia, which represent the indisseverable element on the grave temenos in the Hellenistic
period in the specified area. Considering fact, that none of them was found in situ, selected epitaphs
helps us to better understand how they functionate did and how the world of living was connected with
the world of dead. However the necropolis in Stratoniceia was almost completely destroyed by modern
urbanization, we can find parallels in region nearby, especially on the necropolis of Cnidus.

"Una constante, cuando nos referimos a la mitología griega, consiste en que, a menudo, parece que traspasa la realidad, de manera que ambos mundos, el real y el imaginado, se mezclan. En lo que respecta a las amazonas, existían diversos mitos y, dentro de ellos, diversas versiones de cada mito que a lo largo del tiempo fueron generando, en el imaginario colectivo, una visión estereotipada de ellas y de los acontecimientos que las rodearon. En lo que respecta al ámbito económico, el comercio griego no solo abarcó todo el Mediterráneo sino que a través de él los griegos se pusieron en contacto con culturas tan alejadas de su órbita como los iberos o los escitas.

En este sentido, y a tenor de los recientes descubrimientos de numerosas tumbas de mujeres guerreras entre los escitas, sármatas, saurómatas, etc. que habitaron en las estepas rusas situadas al norte del Mar Negro, pretendo establecer una relación entre estas y la gran cantidad de piezas cerámicas que con representaciones de amazonas se han localizado en las colonias griegas situadas en las estribaciones de la costa norte del Mar Negro. Sobre ellas, hay que destacar que esta zona se ha conformado como la tercera región (tras Etruria y la propia ciudad de Atenas) en que se han localizado un mayor número de estas piezas (tras un análisis que he realizado sobre cerca de 1700 piezas cerámicas en todo el Mediterráneo). De forma que podría ser posible intentar trazar algún tipo de relación entre los motivos que estas piezas presentaban y la cercanía de dichos asentamientos a culturas como las mencionadas donde la capacidad bélica de la mujer parece haber sido importante y que quizá podría tener conexión con los tradicionales mitos sobre las amazonas.
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Keywords: Funerary Marble Vases, Grave Marker, Lekythos, Attic, Hydria

Marble vessels of various forms and types had an essential role within the life of ancient people. However, the tedious obtaining process and the long-lasting lifetime of marble made the vessels produced from it valuable and scantly obtainable objects for everyone’s domestic life. On the other hand, due to its durability, marble vessels were highly preferred, especially by the elite for ritual but mostly for funerary oriented areas. Two marble vases kept within the storages of the Sinop Archaeological Museum supply us with some good examples of marble vessels produced and used for funerary oriented purposes. The two vases, carved in the shape of a lekythos and a hydria, are important finds for a better understanding of the funerary beliefs, cultural interactions and, even at some point, the demographic structure of ancient Sinop. In the scope of this paper, continuous evaluation will be conducted, firstly for an in detail interpreting and understanding of the two vases. Full or partial comparisons will be drawn with other various vases for establishing a more definite identification and a secure dating. Last but not least, the vases will be tried to be placed within the context of the use of marble vases for funerary purposes.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Mermer Cenaze Kapları, Mezar Belirteci, Lekythos, Attik, Hydria

Çeşitli form ve tiplerde mermer kaplar antik dönem insanının hayatında önemli rollere sahip olmuştur. Ancak meşakkatli elde etme süreci ve uzun ömürlü oluşu gibi unsurlar mermerden üretilmiş kapları herkesin gündelik hayatı için değerli ve az miktarda temin edilebilir bir hale sokmuştur. Diğer yandan dayanıklılığı sayesinde mermerden üretilen kaplar özellikle elit kesim tarafından ritüel ancak daha çok ölü gömme odaklı kullanılmak üzere tercih edilmiştir. Sinop Arkeoloji Müzesi depolarında muhafaza altında tutulan iki adet mermer kap, özellikle ölü gömmede kullanılan formlar için güzel örneklemeler sunmaktadır. Biri lekythos diğeri ise hydria formunda olacak şekilde üretilmiş bu iki
kap, antik Sinop’taki ölü gömme inançları, kültürel etkileşimler hatta bir noktada demografik yapı hakkında değerli verilere ulaşmada kıymetli birer eser görevi görmektedir. Bu çalışma bünyesinde her iki kabın da detaylı ve kapsamlı bir incelemesi gerçekleştirilecektir.

Cette communication réalisée à l'Université de Fribourg lors d'une journée d'études organisée par Véronique Dasen en avril 2012 proposait de dresser une typologie des sépultures d'enfants en bas âge utilisées dans le monde grec. Deux types particuliers avait été retenus: l'usage de l'enchytrismos et des ruches. La symbolique de leur utilisation avait fait l'objet d'une réflexion spécifique dans leur rapport à la mort et à la petite enfance .

There is a certain fascination with funerary customs, burial practices, and grave goods from antiquity: not only do they provide valuable information for archaeologists about the material culture of the past, but the treatment of the deceased often reveals as much about living people as it does the occupants of the grave itself. Two areas of ancient Athens, the Kerameikos and the Agora, have been particularly informative with regard to ancient burial customs, due to a long history of excavations and a veritable wealth of funerary deposits. This talk will examine one class of grave goods: vases used for cremation or as votive offerings, and will visually highlight the customs surrounding funerals and burials using examples of extraordinarily well-preserved pottery from the Geometric to the Classical periods. A special focus will be made upon a vessel in our very own University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology.

Περιοδικό Corpus, 41, Αύγουστος 2002: Η ΤΑΦΗ ΤΟΥ ‘’ΠΟΛΕΜΙΣΤΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΤΙΚΥΡΑΣ" ΚΑΙ Η ΑΝΑΣΥΝΘΕΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΚΘΕΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΥ ΔΙΣΤΟΜΟΥ. Παρουσιάζεται  η  διαδικασία  της  έκθεσης-αναπαράστασης  της  ταφής  της  εποχής  των Μηδικών, σε αίθουσα του Μουσείου Διστόμου. Πρόκειται για εγχυτρισμό, μέσα σε αρχαϊκό πίθο, που συνοδεύεται από παράθεση των όπλων του πολεμιστή, όπως και ειδωλίων που έπαιξαν κάποιον ρόλο στην τελετή της εκφοράς.
Παρουσίαση ευρήματος: Φ.Κωνσταντάτος, Σ.Ραπτόπουλος
Επιμέλεια δημοσιεύματος: Σταυρούλα Μασουρίδη.

https://publications.dainst.org/journals/index.php/aa/article/view/2352/6960    A marble sarcophagus from Apollonia can be considered for typological reasons as a product from Paros dated to the 5th century B.C. Petrographical analyses confirm the provenience of the marble from the quarries of that island. In Apollonia limestone sarcophagi were more frequently in use during the 6th and 5th century B.C. and, at least in their integration into an elaborate ritual, mark the social rank of the buried
person. The marble sarcophagus stands at the end of this series. It was most probably reused in Roman times. A different form of burial in a funeral chamber is attested for Hellenistic Apollonia by a fragment of a kline in the museum’s storage rooms.

L'objectif de cette présentation est de mettre en perspective les structures symboliques de certaines pratiques funéraires en Grèce ancienne, fantasmées comme les funérailles de Patrocle dans l’épopée homérique, aussi bien que réelles comme les tombes à Öpferinnen de l'Attique ou la tombe de Mégas à Samos. Ainsi, j'essaierai de montrer que ces exemples s'insèrent dans des stratégies de différenciation sociale 'aiguës', qui peuvent correspondre à un moment de crise du corps social. Ce faisant, je tenterai de comprendre quelle histoire sociale sous-jacente non seulement produit et donne sens à ces stratégies clivantes, mais permet également d'identifier des grandes 'phases' de l'histoire grecque entre 800 et 400 avt n.è.

Unpublished report on the 2014 survey of the North and North-East necropoleis of the city of Colophon (Part of the Mimar Sinan / University of Vienna Colophon Project, Dir. Prof. Chr. Bruns-Özgan and Prof. U. Muss).
35 pages
Documenting the topography of two burial areas of the city, from the LBA to the archaic periods through field survey and archive analysis

During the excavation of burials in the Athenian Kerameikos Necropolis, a significant number of lead tablets and lead dolls haven been found. They are inscribed with curses aganist enemies of various kinds: rivals in love and business, opponents in law courts and politicians. The find contexts of these important testimonies of magic as well as the procedures of making the curses work and of courste the contents are discussed.

Ancient philosophers took an early interest in fetal development as they sought to determine the main stages during which the unborn child gradually acquires abilities that will make him a complete human being. The profusion of texts on this matter, as well as the controversies they have caused, sometimes fierce, underlines the interest of the ancient Greeks for a subject that goes beyond philosophical considerations. In a society where every blood flow can cause impurity, these debates also reflect practical issues: a miscarriage, involuntary or voluntary, does not follow the same ritual prescriptions if the foetus is declared formed or not formed. This differential management of pollution implies a certain acknowledgement of the human being before birth that also manifests itself through specific funerary rites. Graves of foetus and infants deceased during the perinatal period have been uncovered, depending on contexts and on bone preservation conditions. The care brought to them (use of a container, presence of grave goods) and their integration in varied funerary complexes (mixed necropolis, reserved for children or family groups) attest the particular status, sometimes symbolic, that these deceased could have for their family, but also for the rest of the society.
Le développement fœtal a très tôt suscité la curiosité des philosophes antiques qui ont cherché à en déterminer les principales étapes au cours desquelles l’enfant à venir acquiert progressivement les capacités qui feront de lui un être complet. La profusion d’écrits sur cette question, ainsi que les controverses parfois très vives qu’elles ont provoquées, soulignent l’intérêt des Grecs de l’Antiquité pour un sujet qui dépasse les seules considérations philosophiques. Dans un environnement où tout écoulement de sang peut être une source d’impureté, ces débats sont aussi le reflet de difficultés pratiques : une fausse-couche, volontaire comme involontaire, n’est pas soumise aux mêmes prescriptions rituelles si le fœtus est déclaré formé ou non-formé. Cette gestion différentielle de la souillure implique une certaine reconnaissance de l’être avant la naissance, qui se traduit aussi par des pratiques funéraires spécifiques. Selon les contextes et les conditions de préservation des ossements, des sépultures de fœtus et d’enfants décédés en période périnatale ont ainsi été mises au jour. Le soin dont elles ont pu faire l’objet (utilisation de contenant, dépôt de matériel) et leur intégration dans des ensembles funéraires variés (nécropoles mixtes, réservée aux enfants ou encore groupes familiaux) témoignent du statut particulier, parfois symbolique, que pouvaient revêtir ces défunts pour leur famille, mais également pour le reste de la société.