| Romans had various gods and traditions that they | | | | both the riches and the popularity of the person in |
| followed closely. From our modern point of view we | | | | question. Nonetheless, the poorer people who could not |
| might perceive many of their beliefs as superstitious or | | | | afford elaborate and costly rites usually held their |
| irrational, but we must keep in mind that they lived in | | | | funerals at night, in secret, where nobody could see |
| another time and era and tried to make sense of life | | | | them and as such their lack of display went by |
| using omens as their guide. | | | | unnoted. |
| When it comes to funerals they had specific | | | | The funeral was usually held on the ninth day after |
| procedures that they followed closely. For example, | | | | death and was headed by musicians. In memory of |
| when someone was on the verge of death, the | | | | the deceased theatre actors and buffoons were hired |
| closest relative would watch over the dying person. | | | | to represent the character and personality of the |
| When the final hour struck, the relative would try to | | | | deceased by imitating his words and actions in |
| catch the last breath with a kiss and close the dead | | | | memory. Sometimes women were hired to wail and |
| person’s eyes. | | | | cry in grief; they were called praeficae and were |
| A small silver coin, obolus, was placed under the | | | | considered “professional wailers”. |
| tongue of the deceased, which was intended as | | | | Female relatives and friends would usually mourn and |
| payment for the cranky ferryman Charon in Hades. | | | | lament in loud wailing voices, beat their breast and tear |
| Charon was responsible to take the soul of the dead | | | | their hair. Men were mourning too but were careful not |
| person across one of the five rivers, the Styx being | | | | to show their feelings and control emotional outbursts, |
| the most famous one, into the underworld and the coin, | | | | since a public display of emotion was considered |
| along with proper burial or cremation, was to ensure he | | | | effeminate. |
| could pay his fare down that dark river. | | | | The deceased would be carried along in a coffin or a |
| After death, the corpse would be washed and | | | | stretcher and the last rites would be performed |
| anointed with oil and perfumes, which was usually | | | | outside of the city, where the body would be either |
| done either by their slaves or by undertakers. Then the | | | | buried or cremated along with objects that belonged to |
| body would be dressed in the person’s best | | | | him and that he held dear. While cremations became |
| clothes and displayed in the atrium of the house for all | | | | more common in later times, the poor continued with |
| to come and mourn. | | | | burials. It was a more common practice with them |
| Funerals had started as a nocturnal tradition, but later | | | | especially after the growing and spreading influence of |
| richer Romans preferred the day so that they could | | | | Christianity. |
| give sumptuous funerals to impress others and display | | | | |