Question: " I wonder if any of your sources said anything about the hair on the
masks being real? or any part of the "deceased" person's actual body
being a part of it."
Answer: I have not read anything about using real hair on the funerary masks or any other part of the deceased being used. In the book I am reading "Reading Death in Ancient Rome" there is a section that described a traditional Roman burial ritual called ossilegium. "The burial ritual of ossilegium involves two stages: the amputation of a body part, normally a finger, prior to cremation, which was interred with the ashes (os resectum) and the gathering of bone fragments and ashed following cremation (os exceptum)."
I decided to post the question and answer as a blog entry because it is a good question and I felt that some of you other readers might be interested in the answer! Actually, I would really enjoy it if you guys did post questions so that I could continue to post entries like this!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
New Source but Little News
I have finished the last few pages of the article from my previous research post:
Erasmo, Mario. "Among The Dead In Ancient Rome." Mortality 6.1 (2001): 31-43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2013
Below is a quote from the article where Erasmo discusses the epitaphs of Ancient Rome.
"Whereas private wills communicate the deceased’s wishes, epitaphs communicate publicly and preserve a culture of burial as a reflection of society, complete with class distinctions, morality and physical descriptions of the dead. A Roman burial site, much like the earlier Etruscan necropolis, was a reflection of life, in that it was not without sound, since the dead, through the voices of a passer-by (viator), speak for themselves in tomb inscriptions. These include descriptions in the first person of their former identities, moral character, family and station in life, as well as greetings and warnings to the living, whether a descendant or stranger (wayfarer: viator, reader: lector). (39)"
He also mentions that the inclusion of the deceased's reputation was something that was unique to Ancient Rome. I found this especially interesting because the dead wrote their own and it also made me question what would be done if a person died without warning and could not write their own.
Aside from the Epitaphs Erasmo briefly talks about the grave sites and mentions that often times there would be grave orchards or vineyards. This was so that the deceased could provide for future burial offerings as well as provide food or wine for an annual feast where the living would come and dine with the deceased at their tomb.
Discussion: I find it interesting how the dead have an active role in the lives of those still living. At the funerals they are portrayed through actors and thus taking part in their own funerals and then after they have been buried they continue to provide for the living and their relatives come an dine with them. In my post for next week I am thinking of including some information about their beliefs and how these practices tie in.
As I mentioned in my brief update I have also been reading a book from Kent Library:
Erasmo, Mario. Reading Death in Ancient Rome. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2008.
So far this book has included a lot of information about funerals and death in the literary sense. Looking at works of fiction, poems, and plays to examine the topic. While these do give some insight into the funeral practices of Ancient Rome I can't really say how much of the information is factual. For this reason the book hasn't given me a lot of new information. Because it is by the same author as my article some of the historical funeral studies are repeats from the article although slightly expanded on. There are some newer examples though.
I have learned that often times, for upper class citizens, the funeral would be set up as sort of a play. The body of the deceased would be raised up on a pedestal of some sort and then statues of the deceased ancestors would be places in chairs that were arranged in a row before the pedestal as a sort of audience.The readings in some parts were slightly vague as to what the "ancestors" were made out of or if they were also actors bearing the mask. Hopefully after reading further into the book I will be able to figure that out.
The most interesting part of my reading was when the author mentioned that a funeral home in St. Louis offers staged funerals that are meant to pay homage to the deceased and their passions in life. Below is an interview from the funeral home conducted by CBS News.
Video from CBS News
Erasmo, Mario. "Among The Dead In Ancient Rome." Mortality 6.1 (2001): 31-43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2013
Below is a quote from the article where Erasmo discusses the epitaphs of Ancient Rome.
"Whereas private wills communicate the deceased’s wishes, epitaphs communicate publicly and preserve a culture of burial as a reflection of society, complete with class distinctions, morality and physical descriptions of the dead. A Roman burial site, much like the earlier Etruscan necropolis, was a reflection of life, in that it was not without sound, since the dead, through the voices of a passer-by (viator), speak for themselves in tomb inscriptions. These include descriptions in the first person of their former identities, moral character, family and station in life, as well as greetings and warnings to the living, whether a descendant or stranger (wayfarer: viator, reader: lector). (39)"
He also mentions that the inclusion of the deceased's reputation was something that was unique to Ancient Rome. I found this especially interesting because the dead wrote their own and it also made me question what would be done if a person died without warning and could not write their own.
Aside from the Epitaphs Erasmo briefly talks about the grave sites and mentions that often times there would be grave orchards or vineyards. This was so that the deceased could provide for future burial offerings as well as provide food or wine for an annual feast where the living would come and dine with the deceased at their tomb.
Discussion: I find it interesting how the dead have an active role in the lives of those still living. At the funerals they are portrayed through actors and thus taking part in their own funerals and then after they have been buried they continue to provide for the living and their relatives come an dine with them. In my post for next week I am thinking of including some information about their beliefs and how these practices tie in.
As I mentioned in my brief update I have also been reading a book from Kent Library:
Erasmo, Mario. Reading Death in Ancient Rome. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2008.
So far this book has included a lot of information about funerals and death in the literary sense. Looking at works of fiction, poems, and plays to examine the topic. While these do give some insight into the funeral practices of Ancient Rome I can't really say how much of the information is factual. For this reason the book hasn't given me a lot of new information. Because it is by the same author as my article some of the historical funeral studies are repeats from the article although slightly expanded on. There are some newer examples though.
I have learned that often times, for upper class citizens, the funeral would be set up as sort of a play. The body of the deceased would be raised up on a pedestal of some sort and then statues of the deceased ancestors would be places in chairs that were arranged in a row before the pedestal as a sort of audience.The readings in some parts were slightly vague as to what the "ancestors" were made out of or if they were also actors bearing the mask. Hopefully after reading further into the book I will be able to figure that out.
The most interesting part of my reading was when the author mentioned that a funeral home in St. Louis offers staged funerals that are meant to pay homage to the deceased and their passions in life. Below is an interview from the funeral home conducted by CBS News.
Video from CBS News
Its An Update!
Hello readers, just thought I would post a quick update right now since I haven't posted any new research yet this week. It has taken me a little longer because I have been reading a book on my topic entitled "Reading Death in Ancient Rome". To find this book, along with the two others that I am waiting on, I searched Mobius through Kent Library and picked several that had titles relating to my topic of funeral and burial practices.
In this current book there hasn't been a lot of new information, as you should see from my research update later this evening, mostly because the author (who happens to be the same author from my article) is using works of fiction to explore the subject and while they may be based upon the truth I can't use it as factual information. Regardless I will try to post what I can from the book and the rest of the article tonight.
In this current book there hasn't been a lot of new information, as you should see from my research update later this evening, mostly because the author (who happens to be the same author from my article) is using works of fiction to explore the subject and while they may be based upon the truth I can't use it as factual information. Regardless I will try to post what I can from the book and the rest of the article tonight.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
A Reseacher's Thoughts
So now that I have my first substantial post on my subject matter I wanted to do a small post on my thought process on researching and blogging. In my opinion I feel that longer blog posts will become overwhelming for readers so I want to try and make several smaller posts throughout the week. I'm hoping that this will make it easier for those following along. As far as the actual research I have found several articles already but at this point I think I will contain my weekly posts and research to just one or two. Also, at this point the majority of my research posts will most likely be quotations that I have found interesting. This is because I do not know much about the topic and am relying heavily on the knowledge of others. As my research continues I'm hoping that my blogs will shift to more of my own thoughts and collected knowledge of the subject.
The most interesting fact I have learned at this point would be the use of the funerary masks used by actors to imitate the deceased.
The most interesting fact I have learned at this point would be the use of the funerary masks used by actors to imitate the deceased.
Imitating the Dead in Ancient Rome
Before discussing funeral or burial practices of Ancient
Rome I feel that it is important to establish what constitutes Ancient Rome.
“Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew
from a small town on central Italy's Tiber River into an empire that at its
peak encompassed most of continental Europe, Britain, much of western Asia,
northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands. Among the many legacies of Roman
dominance are the widespread use of the Romance languages (Italian, French,
Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian) derived from Latin, the modern Western
alphabet and calendar and the emergence of Christianity as a major world
religion. After 450 years as a republic, Rome became an empire in the wake of
Julius Caesar's rise and fall in the first century B.C. The long and triumphant
reign of its first emperor, Augustus, began a golden age of peace and
prosperity; by contrast, the empire's decline and fall by the fifth century
A.D. was one of the most dramatic implosions in the history of human
civilization.”
-http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome
 |
| Roman Empire ca AD 180 |
Funeral Findings
As
I began my research it was not a surprise that the first
information on funerals I came across was over the funeral practices for
those
of wealth and power. These funeral
practices were often elaborate and public affairs with hired actors and
musicians present.One of the more interesting facts I found is that
there would be someone, with similar build of the deceased, who was
hired to act as that person wearing a funerary mask for the duration of
the funeral. Most of the images of these masks that I found were
discovered in Egypt while it was under Roman rule.
 |
| Found in Fayoum, Egypt ca 100AD to 200AD |
An article entitled "Amongst the Dead in Ancient Rome" published in Mortality in March of 2001 included a quoted description of a burial procedure by a Greek historian called Polybius:
"Whenever
any illustrious man dies, he is carried at his
funeral into the forum to the so-called
rostra, sometimes
conspicuous in an upright posture and
rarely reclined. Here
with
all the people standing round, a grown-up son, if he
has left one who happens to be present, or
if not some other
relative mounts the rostra and discourses
on the virtues and
successful achievements of the dead [...]
Next after the
interment and the performance of the usual
ceremonies, they
place the image of the departed in the most
conspicuous
position in the house, enclosed in a wooden
shrine. This
image is a mask reproducing with remarkable
fidelity both
the features and complexion of the
deceased. On the occasion
of public sacrifices they display these
images, and decorate
them with much care, and when any
distinguished member of
the family dies they take them to the
funeral, putting them
on men who seem to them to bear the closest
resemblance to
the original in stature and carriage. These
representatives
wear togas, with a purple border if the
deceased was a
consul or praetor, whole purple if he was a
censor, and
embroidered with gold if he had celebrated
a triumph or
achieved anything similar. They all ride in
chariots
preceded by the fasces, axes, and other
insignia by which
the different magistrates are wont to be
accompanied
according to the respective dignity of the
offices of state
held by each during his life; and when they
arrive at the
rostra they all seat themselves in a row on
ivory chairs.
There could not easily be a more ennobling
spectacle for a
young man who aspires to fame and virtue.
For who would not
be inspired by the sight of the images of
men renowned for
their excellence, all together and as if
alive and
breathing?".
The funerary masks were created before a person was deceased and kept on display in the atrium, or entry way, of a home for visitors to see. When a person died the mask was then removed from the atrium to use in the funeral and then returned after. The actors who portrayed the deceased would not only wear the masks but would act as the person in movement and speech as well.
In the previous mentioned article the author also quotes the story of a mime imitating emperor Vespasian's stinginess:
"But
at the funeral, the arch-mime Favor bearing his likeness
and imitating his former actions and words,
as is the
custom, openly asked the procurators how
much the funeral
and procession cost. When he heard 10,000,000
sesterces, he
shouted that they should give him 100,000
sesterces and
throw his body into the Tiber."
The article contained a lot of other information on funeral practices for the wealthy. For the purpose of a daily blog I feel that I have highlighted the more interesting portions above. As I continue to read through and highlight information I will make more in-depth posts on the subject before the week is out.
Burial Findings
In regards to the burial practices of Ancient Rome there was a fact mentioned not only in the article previously mentioned but also in our class reading, "In Rome the law of the Twelve Tables forbade burial in urbe, within the city...This is why cemeteries were located ouside cities, along roads such as the Appian Way or Rome..."(Aries pg 15). This law is elaborated on more in the article where it goes on to say that "The
Twelve Tables explicitly forbade the burning or burying of corpses within the
pomerium of the city to guard against disease and religious pollution".
The only other information I have uncovered on the subject of burial is also from the class reading which says "in Ancient Rome, everyone, even the slaves, had a burial place, a loculus, and that this place was marked by an inscription". However this is all the current information I have on the burials of Ancient Egypt until I uncover further articles on the subject.
I did look up what exactly the Twelve Tables were:
"This is the earliest attempt by the Romans to create a CODE OF LAW; it
is also the earliest (surviving) piece of literature coming from the
Romans. In the midst of a perennial struggle for legal and social
protection and civil rights between the privileged class (patricians)
and the common people (plebeians) a commission of ten men (Decemviri)
was appointed (ca. 455 B.C.) to draw up a code of law which would be
binding on both parties and which the magistrates (the 2 consuls) would
have to enforce impartially." -http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html
Sources
Erasmo, Mario. "Among The Dead In Ancient Rome." Mortality 6.1 (2001): 31-43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2013
Aries,Philippe. Western Attitudes toward Death from the Middle Ages to the Present. Translated
by Patricia Ranum.Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1974.
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