More handpicked essays just for you.
Religion in ancient civilisation
Religion in the roman and greek era
Greco-Roman cultural and religious beliefs
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Throughout the Mycenaean period in Greece the grave structures changed massively. Before the Mycenaean period and during the early Mycenaean period, burial was very un-ritualistic with little honour; burial was purely a sanitary way to get rid of the deceased. These graves were called cist graves. These were an individual tomb, which was a simple shallow pit covered and lined by slabs of rock. The graves were usually to small or short to allow a fully extended burial so the bodies were usually crouched or in the foetus position often on a prepared floor or river pebbles. These graves were not usually found too close together like a cemetery but more isolated.
In the early Mycenaean period a more honourable grave was created for the wealthy and famous. These were called tumulus tombs. These originally consisted of a man being laid on the ground being covered in a layer of stones and then being covered in a mound of earth. The mound of earth was supposed to be seen by all around in order to respect the dead person. These mounds were often marked by a stone or stele. The way people are buried reflects their society as a whole, so by moving from the cist grave to the tumulus, this shows us that the Mycenaean people had become more superstitious, materialistic and more cultured.
In the 16 century BC the Mycenaean moved to a new style of grave. The grave was called a shaft grave, it was a deep shaft downwards into the ground and a dome was built at the end. The bodies were lowered down into the dome and covered in lime; this was done to slow down the corrosion of the bodies because this was a shared tomb. By sharing tombs the Mycenaeans could reduce the space needed for graves, which would have been especially useful in cities, such as Mycenae. Two new things were now done as well. Firstly, positions were also put into the graves, such as armour, clothes, jewellery, pots and money. These were all put in as supplies for the deceased's journey to the underworld. Secondly these graves were often found together in grave circles, such as Grave Circle A and B at Mycenae. The items put into the graves, have been the most useful tools for looking into the culture of the Mycenaeans.
Cahokia had fences to differentiate and defend the different levels of rankings. Archaeologist could find that higher ranked people were buried in the mounds while the poor were just buried in cemeteries. The higher ranked were buried with garments and other items that may have been important to the occupant.
When an Etruscan person died, they would be cremated and would be seen as entering a new life. They would put the remains in a special urn called Etruscan hut urn (c. 800 B.C.E.), this urn was another ‘home’ for the afterlife.
A Greek funerary plaque, these often decorated the walls of ancient tombs, created in a beautiful terracotta medium. These are dated in the late sixth century BC. Often these plaques would show different funeral customs, myths associated with death, or events within the culture.
As the name suggests the Bronze Age is a period of human culture, in which civilizations heavily used copper and bronze for various aspects of life and trading. The beginning of the Bronze Age is estimated to date before 3000 BCE in parts of Med. Europe, Middle East and China. Knossos and Mycenae are both archeological sites, and date back to the Bronze Age. Knossos was the capital of the ancient Minoan civilization; located on the island of Crete. Mycenae was a massive fortified palace, located between two hills on the plain of the Peloponnese, Greece.
Perhaps the most notorious of burial practices originating in Egypt is that of mummification. Why such an extraordinary attempt was made to preserve cadavers may seem
The first reason is that Athenian should be admired for their custom and tradition. According to Pericles speech, Athenians had great respect for their warrior class and they were proud of their city and its customs. They respected the warrior class and placed them among the top member of the society. In Athenians society, one of the important custom is their funeral. According to their customs, the funeral starts three days before the ceremony. In this ceremony, the bones of the death body were laid out in a tent and their friends brought offerings to their relatives of what they most wanted. Furthermore, in the funeral procession, cypress coffins were set up for the different types of tribe. The bones placed in the different coffin according to their tribe. One empty coffin was set up for those, whose body could not be recovered. In this procession, the female relatives came to wail at the burial. Any citizen or stranger who wants could join this procession. This types of the ceremony prepared at the people’s cost .This custom is coming from generation to generation and it will be continue in future.
Through the means of commemorating and remembering those of prestige and importance, tombs and sarcophagi are produced of these individuals. This funerary manner and distinctive burial practice was initiated Etruscan culture and it developed through the means of cremation and inhumation in earns. The concept of placing the remains of individuals in elaborate, thought out spaces was a valuable attribute of these people. The Etruscan objective of creating the best possible outcome in the afterlife dictated the way in which individuals ornamented and became portrayed in their tombs. Presen...
The significance of monumental architecture lies not only in the function it is built to serve but also in the cultural values it represents. Monumental architecture is aesthetic as well as functional, and in its aesthetic aspects it is a form of cultural expression. In Bronze Age Mediterranean civilizations, the development of monumental architecture was influenced primarily by the political structure of the state. Perhaps the most disparate forms of monumental architecture in this region were developed in Pharaonic Egypt and Minoan Crete, reflecting the differences in their political systems. The socio-political structure of these two cultures can be sharply contrasted through an examination of a predominant type of monumental architecture found in each region.
Today the society is looking for ways to ease life and to find solutions for problems which oppress our lives and make it hard to live through. Because of many reasons, the traditional burials in this century are becoming a problem. (Prothero,2001). The fact that they cover a lot of land to build cemeteries and other things that are attached to these traditional burials is enough for us to search for a practical solution. About a century ago the term "cremation" was unknown to many people. It is believed that it began to be practiced during the early Stone Age and still exists today. Since that time cremations have been made all over the world, but they have never been so popular as they are now in this century. First and the most important to us all are the costs which are much less expensive for cremations than for funerals . Second, cremation does not contaminate the earth and cause a foul odor in the ground. Third, a lot of land is saved which means that it has an environmental impact.
In this regard, several tombs were put up, especially for the royalty where the mummies were kept. In addition, the pharaohs were buried together with their possessions to use once they reached the afterlife. Similarly, the Indus people were buried with their possessions, and archaeological evidence has been found supporting such claims(Phillipsburg School District, n.d).
were 10 doors and at end there was a statue of Osiris, the god of the
... Mycenae also changed over time. Each site ultimately displays similarities between the Mycenaean culture as well as differences based on region or the city’s distance from a major trade route making them interesting to study.
Ancient Egyptian burial rituals and customs have evolved over time as source C depicts. Source C is relief illustrating the evol...
The primary focus of ancient Greek sculptures was that of the human body. Almost all Greek sculptures are of nude subjects. As the first society to focus on nude subjects, Greek sculptors attempted to "depict man in what they believed was the image of the gods and so would come to celebrate the body by striving for verisimilitude or true – likeness (realism and naturalism!)."(Riffert) Not only did the Greeks celebrate the human form in their art but also in everyday life. (Riffert) One of the favorite topics for sculptors was that of the athlete. In Greek culture athletes were described as "hero–athletes". (Riffert) This shows that athletes were revered and looked upon as heroes. The influence of athleticism is evident in many famous sculptures. I will attempt to show how the human form influenced Greek art. It is important to note that many of the Greek sculptures discussed do not exist in their original form but rather in Roman copies of the original bronze sculptures. (Riffert)
Throughout history, there have been several significant architectural movements. The last, and perhaps most enduring movement is that of Classic Greece. Although for centuries, the architecture of ancient Greece has been admired, mimicked, and replicated, its beginnings are somewhat surprising to one unfamiliar with the history of the region. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Classic Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate its form, function, and beauty. “Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general. The formulas they invented as early as the sixth century B.C. have influenced the architecture of the past two millennia” (metmuseum.org).