Culture: Tombs, Graves and Burial

The Role of Tombs in The Homeric World

Tombs in the Homeric World serve a multifunctional role: they’re both a place for the dead and a memorial space for the living.
The Homeric World saw tombs as a connection point to the afterlife. Rituals, prayers, and sacrifices were performed at the tombs hoping for intervention from the deceased.
Tombs with more lavish and grand design usually signify the status of the person buried within. The wealthier and higher ranking the individual, the more elaborate their grave.

Funeral rites were significant in The Homeric World. The proper treatment of the dead was crucial, believed to determine the deceased’s peace in the afterlife.
The body was prepared for burial through washing, anointing, and dressing, then laid out at home for relatives to mourn. This is known as prothesis.
The funeral processions were usually public displays of grief, and the body was carried on a bier during a procession (ekphora) to the burial grounds, often outside the city.
The Iliad mentions funeral games held in honour of dead heroes, raised mounds of earth to mark the burial, and sacrifices to help guide the souls of the deceased.

It was common practice to bury the dead with ‘grave goods’ or offerings, which can range from basic household items like vases and pots to valuable objects such as weapons and jewelry.
The nature of these grave goods gives us an insight into the customs, beliefs, and social status of the Homeric World.

Both cremation and inhumation (burial) were practiced in The Homeric World, possibly based on the circumstances of death and the deceased’s status.
The Homeric epics depict heroic figures like Achilles and Patroclus being cremated, their ashes placed in a gold urn, then buried, topped by a large burial mound.
The ordinary citizens were more likely to be interred without being cremated.

Epitaphios logos, or funeral orations, were a key part of the mourning process. These speeches typically praised the deceased and offered comfort to the living.
Annual memorial feasts known as genos were held at the gravesite, wherein family members would provide food and drink offerings.
The deceased were remembered and honoured through various festivals like nekysia, a rite performed in honour of the dead.