Ancient Greek views on death

    
Having examined different ancient cultures, a lot of them seem to share something in common, elaborate funerary practices. For example, we talked about the ice maiden who was buried with luxuries such as horses and jewelry. The Egyptian pharaohs prepared for their death years in advance by building pyramids decorated with burial artifacts and hieroglyphics. However, I believe we did not have an opportunity to discuss Ancient Greek views and funerary practices.

Funerary plaque, ca. 520–510 b.c.; Archaic, black-figure
Greek, Attic
Terracotta

H. 10 1/4 in. (26.04 cm)

The plaque  above depicts a very expressive funeral scene. The arms of the subjects are stretched out in different directions, leading the eyes back and forth through the image. The decorative pattern at the top of the image along with the chariots illustrated at the bottom all run towards the right of the image, leading the eye out. Plaques like these were made to decorate the interior of tombs. What is interesting to me is that it reminds me of Egyptian imagery, with the profile view feet and faces, and the front view torsos, as well as the horses with multiple legs aligned either off the ground or on the ground in a group.The chariot race is a popular theme in Attic funerary art. It may be a reference to funerary games held in honor of the deceased who was a war hero.

 Upon death, the body is bathed, clothed and laid out on a bier. The feet face the door and two pillows are placed below the head in order to keep the person's mouth closed. This is called A prothesis, or laying out of the dead.

I find the expression of the figures to be a little exaggerated, but according to an article I read, in ancient Greek culture, mourning and wailing were (and still are today) an obligation to the dead.
Greek funeral traditions today are a blend of ancient Greek traditions and Christian Orthodox traditions.


"Funerary plaque [Greek, Attic] (54.11.5)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/54.11.5 (October 2006)

Lambros Vlahos, et al. "A Greek Perspective On Concepts Of Death And Expression Of Grief, With Implications For Practice." International Journal Of Palliative Nursing 9.12 (2003): 534-537. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.