Death

Carl Burgers  

The Greek Way of Death

by Robert Garland

I. Words

ekei

menos

psychê

eidôlon

skia

phrenes

proskynêsis

kêdeia

prothesis

ekphora

thaptô

II. Being Dead (as opposed to being
alive)

* Being dead didn’t provide many privileges

1. dead impotent

i. could not really “haunt”

ii. could not exact revenge personally

2. shadows of former selves

3. easily tricked

i. budget lêkythoi

* Dead protected by laws

1. rights (not rites) of the dead

2. dead are appeased

3. bad survivors punished

 

III. The Process of Dying (a dying man’s
checklist)

* Taking a ritual bath

* Taking care of the children

* Taking care of business

* Praying to Hestia

* Praying for safe journey to Hades

* Say good bye L

IV. The Funeral (when people cried and
made a noise)

* Heroes versus normal folk

* Homer versus history

* Solon steps in

* Preparing the body prothesis

* Carrying the body ekphora

* Depositing the body thaptô

V. Signs of the times (when people got
cheap)

* lêkythoi

* other containers

* Cremation versus inhumation

Return to Main Page: CLST 4003H. Greek Religion
Colloquium