Why Is Death Important In Ancient Greek Culture

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This large container vessel used to mix wine and water was a container for the ashes of the deceased. The decoration refers to death and the afterlife. The main illustration shows the deceased sitting in a small shrine conversing with a friend who leans on the doorway while drinking wine poured by a servant. Outside, young men and women prepare for a festival, probably that of Dionysius. The whole impression is of ease and happiness. The sphinx on the neck is a symbol of sudden death, and the masks on the handles are of Io, one of Zeus' lovers who was turned into a cow and suffered many hardships before she regained human form and bore Zeus a son. Io became a symbol for the soul that suffers much before finding peace.
Death and funeral rites played a very important role in ancient Greek society. Funerals honored the memory of loved ones and friends in much the same way as our own contemporary society, but in ancient Greece mortuary activities also served to appease or satisfy Gods who were central to the spiritual life of the community and individual citizens. The souls of the dead were thought to be taken to the underworld by the god Hermes. On the day of death, the corpse was laid out on a couch bu the closest female relatives, who prepared the body for …show more content…
Children were usually not cremated. The body or urn of ashes was buried along with possessions like pottery, jewels, or other personal belongings. Children were often buried with their favorite toys. Those who could afford it would set up a memorial on the site of a loved one's tomb. This took the form of a small monument or a carved stone slab called a stele. A typical stele might show a farewell scene with the dead man or woman offering a hand to the child, wife, or husband, they had left behind. The dead were also given liquid offerings of water, oil, honey, and wine. These were poured from vases called

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