'Reading'Greek Death: To the End of the Classical Period (review) (original) (raw)

Changing Conceptions of Death in Ancient Greece (Draft)

‘Changing Conceptions of Death in Ancient Greece’ in Reflections on the History of Ideas of Death, 2024

Responses to death, that most universal of all human experiences, comprise some of the richest, most enduring and varied aspects of ancient Greek myth, art, literature and ideas. From the vastly influential epics of Homer, to the philosophies of Plato and others, to funerary monuments and remains found in tombs, we encounter a diversity of attitudes to death as well as differing notions of what happens to us after we die. This in some ways reflects the fact that for the Greeks of the pre-Christian era, there was no canonical religious text accepted as providing a universal dogma for the faithful to uphold. Their thinking about death can be considered an open system, just as religion in Greece can be understood as a diverse phenomenon embracing a wide range of cult practices and concepts of the divine. But, just as Greek religion had clearly recognisable and consistent elements, such as the overriding importance of the twelve Olympian gods, so, too, in Greek eschatology, prevalent themes emerge that enable us to speak of its major attributes.

Burial customs, the afterlife and the pollution of death in ancient Greece

Acta Theologica

Funerary practices in ancient Greece were influenced by contemporary views on the afterlife and by concepts of pollution, but also by a desire to limit costs and a need to prevent the process of burial from causing inconvenience to the community or providing an opportunity for exploitation by those with ulterior political motives. Plato (Hippias Maior 291d and e) defined the ideal of any Greek as to be rich, healthy and honoured; to live to a grand old age; to bury his parents with honour, and ultimately to be buried in turn by his own children with due respect. This study investigates the views on disposing of the dead which were prevalent from the 8 th to the 4 th century BC in Greece, and in Attica in particular. The sources consulted include Homer's epic poems, archaeological data and vase paintings, as well as the writings of later historians, philosophers and other prominent people.

Burial customs, the afterlife and pollution of death in ancient Greece : the Greek world

Acta Theologica, 2005

Funerary practices in ancient Greece were influenced by contemporary views on the afterlife and by concepts of pollution, but also by a desire to limit costs and a need to prevent the process of burial from causing inconvenience to the community or providing an opportunity for exploitation by those with ulterior political motives. Plato (Hippias Maior 291d and e) defined the ideal of any Greek as to be rich, healthy and honoured; to live to a grand old age; to bury his parents with honour, and ultimately to be buried in turn by his own children with due respect. This study investigates the views on disposing of the dead which were prevalent from the 8 th to the 4 th century BC in Greece, and in Attica in particular. The sources consulted include Homer's epic poems, archaeological data and vase paintings, as well as the writings of later historians, philosophers and other prominent people.