Funerals in Ancient Rome

Ancient Romans believed the afterlife could only begin once the body was properly laid to rest or buried. This belief led to incredibly elaborate and ritualistic burial ceremonies, some of which could take weeks to complete. Every aspect of the funeral ceremony was important, from the procession to the feast. It allowed family members, friends, and neighbors to show respect to the deceased and prepare them for the afterlife. The way these practices played out varied depending on the dead's wealth and social status. Wealthier families could afford more decadent ceremonies.

Cremation and Burial

The Romans tied their beliefs about the afterlife to their economic status in life. Thus, the burials for the poor didn't come close to the pomp and ceremony of the funerals for the wealthy. In the early days of the Roman Empire, mourners took the dead to the necropolis, the Roman version of a cemetery, where the corpse was placed on a fire and burned until only bones and ash remained. Their bodies were placed in a funeral urn and later interred. As inhumation (which means burial) became more common, the ceremonies evolved and changed.

The Romans buried the poorest citizens and enslaved people into mass graves called potter's fields.
Burial clubs helped people afford ceremonies through monthly fees.
Ancient Romans buried wealthy citizens in tombs, many of which were very elaborate.
The heirs of the deceased built the tombs.
Sometimes the heirs placed their names on the tombs and would join their loved ones in the same tomb when they passed.
Eventually, the Romans created the catacombs, underground cemeteries where they buried their dead.
The Romans even erected tombs for family members lost at sea or who died while traveling.
Whether cremated or buried, the Roman bodies all went into the ground to be considered "at rest."
Most ancient Romans were buried with gifts and tokens to ensure they found happiness.

Procession

When a Roman died in their home, close relatives washed and anointed their bodies and straightened their limbs. Once they prepared the body properly, they laid it out on a funeral bed, sometimes surrounded by funeral flowers to cover the scent of the dead body. For the next several days, family, friends, and neighbors could make farewells before the procession that brought the body from the home to the burial location. Similar to today's funeral processions, friends and family participated in it.

Processions always took place at night, with torches lighting the streets.
Friends and family members carried the poor directly to their tomb.
Families brought middle-class and lower-class Romans directly to the burial site.
The wealthy had more extended and elaborate processions carrying litters holding the deceased.
Professional mourners, women who were not part of the family, were paid to join the march - the more professional mourners, the wealthier the deceased.
Professional mourners cried, wailed, scratched their faces, and pulled out their hair.
The procession for the wealthy often included musicians and jesters.
Sometimes, relatives of the rich wore wax masks made to look like the deceased.

Eulogy

The funeral ceremonies of the wealthy would stop at the forum, where someone would give a speech, not unlike the eulogy of modern funerals. Where modern funeral flowers can be appropriate for any funeral, the funeral imagery of the Romans was precise to the person who had passed away and could include their likeness. Their Faces also decorated the tombs and provided information about their wealth and lifestyle.

During the eulogy, the speaker would praise the deceased's life.
People chanted at the funerals of the wealthy.
Some women's funerals had eulogies, but it was mostly for wealthy men.
Young politicians spoke in many tributes to publicize themselves.

Feast

The feast was the capstone of the funeral in Ancient Rome, as it gave the deceased permission to move on to the underworld. The Romans also believed it helped the family move on. Today, friends may provide a meal for the family, but in Ancient Rome, the family provided the food for the feast.

They held the feasts when the body was buried or nine days after the funeral.
Burial clubs held feasts every other month to honor the dead.
The dues from burials clubs helped cover the dinners, but members also brought food.
For the wealthy, the dinner included delicacies like doves, chickens, almonds, figs, and dates.
They set some of the food aside and fed it to the dead.
Relatives often buried their family members with utensils.
People ate at the tombs even after the mourning period was over.