Ancient Greece Death Rituals
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The ancient Greeks believed greatly in afterlife just like the Egyptians. Perhaps the Egyptians believed in this concept because of the Greeks. For the Greeks, everything was a celebration; birth, life, death and also after life were celebrated.
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All the death ceremonies that were practiced by the Greeks were aimed at the after life. They had death rituals right from the sixth century B.C. In the book called Odyssey, Homer described that the Greeks believed in a place called the Underworld deep inside the earth, and that is where Hades, the brother of Zeus, and his wife lived. All the dead were countless number of shadowy figures floating across. The Greeks believed that this was not a happy place to be. Also, in the book it is mentioned that the ghost of the dead hero Achilles told Odysseus that he would rather be a poor serf on the earth than the ghost of the hero called Achilles or the lord of the dead in the Underworld. Such was his dissatisfaction with afterlife.
The ancient Greeks believed that the moment a person died, their spirit left the body in a puff or like a breath of wind. The deceased were prepared before their burial. A proper burial was a must for all those who were dead. Women of the dead or relatives who were women conducted elaborate processes for the burial. The body was thoroughly washed and anointed with scented oils. Thereafter, it was dressed in the best clothes. After that, the body was placed on a high bed in the house. The relatives and friends could come after that to pay their respects.
The body was then taken to the cemetery for burial. The burial invariably took place before dawn. Once the burial took place, a rectangular tombstone was placed. In addition, the grave was decorated with ornate and grand marble statues. This was primarily done to ensure that the dead were never forgotten.
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