The Burial Customs of the Ancient Greeks by Frank Pierrepont Graves

(15 User reviews)   5916
By Rebecca King Posted on Jan 2, 2026
In Category - Faith & Religion
Graves, Frank Pierrepont, 1869-1956 Graves, Frank Pierrepont, 1869-1956
English
Hey, I just finished this fascinating old book about how the ancient Greeks handled death. It's not as morbid as it sounds—it's actually about what their funeral rituals tell us about how they lived. The author digs through ancient plays, poems, and archaeology to show how their beliefs about the afterlife shaped everything from the coins placed on their eyes to the grand tombs they built. If you've ever wondered what Homer or Sophocles really thought happened after death, this book connects the dots in a surprisingly clear way. It's like a detective story, but the clues are thousands of years old.
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=CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM GRAECARUM=, Edidit Augustus Boeckhius, Berolini. =COULANGE=, La Cité Antique. =DODWELL=, Edward, Classical and Topographical Tour through Greece, London, 1819. =FEYDEAU=, Histoire générale des usages funébres et des sepultures des peuples anciens, Paris, 1858. =FORBIGER=, Populäre Darstellung des öffentlichen und häuslichen Lebens der Griechen und Römer. I Band, Leipzig, 1876. =GARDNER=, Percy, Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. v. =HERMANN=, Lehrbuch der Griechischen Privatalterthümer von K. F. Hermann. Dritte Auflage von Dr. Hugo Blümner, Freiburg, 1882. =MAHAFFY, J. P.=, Rambles and Studies in Greece, second edition 1878. =MERRIAM, A. C.=, American Journal of Arch. v. Icaria. =MILLIN, A. L.=, Peintures de vases antiques vulgairement appelés Etrusques tírées des differentes collections. =MITCHELL, LUCY M.=, History of Ancient Sculpture. =MILLINGEN, J. V.=, Painted Greek Vases, London, 1822. =PERROT et CHIPIEZ=, Histoire de L’art dans L’antiquité, Tome premier, L’Egypte. =POTTIER, EDMOND.= Étude sur les Lecythes Blancs Attiques á Représentations Funéraires. [Bibliothéque des écoles françaises d’Athénes et de Rome, Tome 30.] =ROBERTS, E. S.= Introduction to Greek Epigraphy, Cambridge, 1887. =SCHREIBER=, Bilderatlas and Commentary. =STACKELBERG=, Baron. Die Graeber der Hellenen, Berlin, 1837. =ST. JOHN=, History of the Manners and Customs of Ancient Greeks, Vol. III, London, 1842. =TEGG=, The Last Act. London, 1877. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. DUTY OF BURIAL: Burial of an enemy--Duty toward parents. CHAPTER II. BURIALS EXTRAORDINARY: Burial of criminals--Of suicides--Of traitors--Of those struck by lightning--Special ceremonies for violent deaths--For persons drowned. CHAPTER III. PREPARATION FOR BURIAL: Former features--Reforms--The passage money--The bath--The unguents--The wreaths--The honey-cake--The garments. CHAPTER IV. THE LYING IN STATE (_Prothesis_): When this took place--Regulations of Ceos--The women who took part--The scarf, the fan, and the bird--The place--The position of the corpse--The _kline_--The _lecyths_--The _ardanion_--Two purposes of the prothesis. CHAPTER V. OUTWARD GRIEF: By whom rendered--Only a form--Excesses--Laws against excess--Their result. CHAPTER VI. THE PROCESSION, (_ekphora_): Third day the set time--Exceptions to set time--Hour of the day--The _kline_--Who carried the bier--The dirge singers--Who might attend the procession--Military funeral processions. CHAPTER VII. BURNING OR INHUMATION? The extreme views--The two methods contemporary--Cremation at every period--Burial also existed--Custom at Sparta and Sicyon--Comparison with modern methods--Details of cremation--Place of cremation. CHAPTER VIII. THE COFFINS: Early coffins--Those of stone--Of cypress--Shape and decorations. CHAPTER IX. THE TOMBS: The varieties--Heaps of earth--The stêlæ--Decorations--The _kion_--The _trapezae_--The herôum--Early entombments--Later cost and regulations against it--Inscriptions on the tombs--Epitaphs to children--Trinkets placed in the tomb--The public cemetery--Tombs of the richer class--Burials outside of the city--The motive--Laws at Sparta and other States. CHAPTER X. THE FUNERAL FEAST (_Perideipnon_): Its purpose--The host--The place--Praise of deceased’s virtues--Consecration of fragments. CHAPTER XI. SACRIFICES AT THE GRAVE: Performed by relatives--The two varieties--Increase in expense--The _trita_--The _ennata_--The sacrifices of the Argives--Of the Spartans--When mourning ceased--The basket--Other utensils--What was employed for sacrifices--Women performed sacrifices--Grief less noticeable than at prothesis--Customs at the tomb--General attention to the graves. CHAPTER XII. FURTHER CEREMONIES: The _genesia_--The _nekysia_--Funeral games--Duty of visiting the grave--General conduct of a mourner--Black garments and polling of the head--Custom at Sparta--Conclusion. THE BURIAL CUSTOMS AMONG THE ANCIENT GREEKS. I. DUTY OF BURIAL. The task of investigation in this field of Grecian antiquities is akin to that of a blind man, patching together the fragments of a shattered vase with no guidance but the rough outline of innumerable pieces. Every nook and corner of Greek literature must be explored, every exhumed inscription, monument, statue and vase must be carefully scanned, to find a hint here and there to illustrate and illuminate the subject. Using the word _monument_ in a broad sense, it is from monuments, rather than literature, that we get the most trustworthy information on Greek burial customs. Ancient literature reveals the thought of the superior minds. The common...

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Frank Pierrepont Graves' book isn't a novel with a plot, but a guided tour through ancient Greek cemeteries and minds. He pieces together how Greeks from different city-states and time periods treated their dead. We see the process from the moment of death—the washing, the laying out, the loud lamentations—to the funeral procession and the final burial or cremation. Graves uses sources like Homer's epics, tragic plays, and vase paintings to show these customs weren't uniform; they changed over centuries and varied from Athens to Sparta.

Why You Should Read It

This book makes the ancient world feel real and human. It's not just about dates and battles; it's about fear, hope, and respect. You see how their rituals were a direct line to their beliefs. The fear of a restless ghost, the hope for a peaceful journey to the Underworld, and the deep need to honor family—it's all there in how they placed a coin for Charon the ferryman or offered libations at the grave. Graves writes with a scholar's care but also a clear respect for his subject. He shows you that for the Greeks, death was a public, communal event, not a private one.

Final Verdict

Perfect for history buffs who want to move beyond politics and wars, or for anyone who loves Greek mythology and wants to understand the practical beliefs behind the stories. It's also great for writers or world-builders looking for authentic inspiration. The language is a bit old-fashioned (it was published in 1909), but the ideas are timeless. If you can handle that classic academic style, you'll find a deeply rewarding look at life by studying death.



⚖️ Public Domain Content

This title is part of the public domain archive. Knowledge should be free and accessible.

Liam Lopez
8 months ago

Enjoyed every page.

Elizabeth Smith
1 year ago

To be perfectly clear, it challenges the reader's perspective in an intellectual way. Exceeded all my expectations.

Michael Lewis
1 year ago

Great reference material for my coursework.

Brian Taylor
1 year ago

Fast paced, good book.

Jennifer Rodriguez
1 year ago

The index links actually work, which is rare!

5
5 out of 5 (15 User reviews )

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