Death and the afterlife are themes that have always been interesting for people and horrific at the same time. The thoughts about death and the beyond can send shivers down the spine of a contemporary person and the attitude of ancient Greeks to death was practically the same. The reason for this affinity of views on death and the afterlife can be explained by the fact that a contemporary person, in fact, knows no more about the secret of afterlife than an ancient Greek did. The only difference is that we know more medical facts that prove to be useless when speaking about death and afterlife from a spiritual point of view. In Ancient Greece, death was even more incorporated into the daily life of all people as death was prevalent among all people because of numerous military conflicts, diseases, giving birth to children, etc. The spiritual importance of death, parting with the world of the living and leaving it for something new and unexplored has been one of the most valuable themes of ancient Greek literature and art.
The mythological image of the world of the dead, Hades, a gloomy, dark, and wet realm, ruled by its namesake, Hades, is perfectly described in The Odyssey by Homer. In the eleventh book, the protagonist descends to Hades to meet many deceased heroes and those who are punished by Gods severely. A very picturesque statement is made by Achilles who says, “do not make light of death”, “I would rather work the soil as a serf on hire to some landless impoverished peasant than to be King of all these lifeless dead” (Homer 152). This statement shows that there was a strong opinion among ancient Greeks that heroic death in the youth was worse than a long quiet life. Even heroic death was still death and eternal staying in Hades could not be imagined as a pleasant one. Even worse it was for those who were in Gods’ disgrace, like Tantalus and Sisyphus sentenced to eternal tortures for their faults. The first, Tantalus, was a son of Zeus who stole the Gods’ food and has been deprived of food forever. Sisyphus, a former king who had deceived and killed his guests, was sentenced to endless toil, “he wrestled with a huge rock with a huge rock with both hands” (Homer 155). Thus, The Odyssey shows the immense fear and worshipping of Gods that were typical in Ancient Greece. They valued earthly life, worshipped the memory of the deceased relatives, observed and respected all traditions connected with aftermath.
Visual arts of Ancient Greece usually reflect the plots taken from daily life of people, thus, mythological plots and plots reflecting traditions are popular. Visual arts perform the function of a chronicle. Funeral motives are common on the vases and jugs that are meant to be used during funeral ceremonies or in daily life. If they are not meant for funeral, the representation of funeral traditions is a reminder for those who are alive to worship memory of the dead.
This abundance of ritual motives on the ancient Greek brown ware symbolizes the importance of living for their deceased relative. Their sacred duty was to perform all rituals that were necessary before the funeral so that the dead could reach Hades and enter it. In case, if the relatives failed to perform the rituals accordingly, the soul was doomed to eternal wandering between the worlds of the living and the dead, endless and restless wandering. This is why before final parting with the soul of the dead; the relatives were showing their grief and sorrow openly. The central role during the ceremonies was assigned to the dead as it can be observed on the krater belonging to the Geometric period (Department of Greek and Roman Art par. 4), where the deceased is pictured in an unusual position, on his side, to attract attention to this element of the picture.
However, after the euphoria (Department of Greek and Roman Art par. 2), the relatives tried to build something that would connect them with their late relative and symbolize their feelings to him/her. They erected “monumental earth mounds, rectangular built tombs, and elaborate marble stelai and statutes were often erected to mark the grave and to ensure that the deceased would not be forgotten” (Department of Greek and Roman Art par.2).
Grave monuments differed depending on the welfare standards of the family of the dead. For instance, the Grave stele of a youth and a little girl (Department of Greek and Roman Art par. 3) is a real masterpiece that has survived up to the present moment. The stele has the inscription stating that it is dedicated to a young deceased man by his father and mother. The stele is very tall and crowned by a sphinx that symbolizes the high place of mythology in the life of ancient Greeks.
Drawing a conclusion, it is possible to state that death, funeral traditions, and the concept of aftermath occupied significant place in the lives of ancient Greeks. They worshipped memory of their late relatives and their traditions and feelings found perfect reflection in visual art and literature. Still, aftermath has always been a hidden and unexplored area and it remains the same nowadays.
Works Cited
Department of Greek and Roman Art. “Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Rieu, Emile Victor, and Christopher H. Rieu. UK: Penguin Classics, 2002. Web.