The Lincoln County herald., 1869-12-09
Burial Rites Among The: Romans.

| Burial Rites Among the Romans.
The Romans, like the Greeks, attachct
great importance to the rites Of burial
for they believed that If. the body rc-
muined uu.sopulchred the soul would b,
doomed to wander hundred years along
tho winding shores Of the gloomy rivel
Styx before gaiaiug admission into Hades
The dead we're either burned or buried
according 70 their own desires, or ss bes,
suited tho taste Of their family and
friends. Infaut., however,, we're. never
burned; nor we're persons who had been
killed by Lightning, since common flames
would have been regarded % . contami,
uat,oa to bodies which had clready been
touched by celestial Gre. The fn6uence
Of Christianity, after Il, had become q
power 10 the Roman Empire, gradually
abolished the custom Of incremation, aud
made iueerment the universal practice.
When Roman lay at the point Of death,
bis nearest relative present hung over
him for tho purpose Of inhaling his last
breath, with which the ANNA or vital
principle was supposed to take its fight.
Hence the expression which we still use
when We sFeak Of receiving persons
last breath, although with ~ tho phrase
has lost it's original and literal significa.
ton. The same kinsman then closed the
eyes Of the deceased, after which tho
body was washed and aunointed by pro-
fessional undertakers (as depicted on the
Pompciiau sign alreAdy alluded toy,
wrapped in white linen and placed On q
bier decked with leaves and flowers o
small coin was also put under his tongue,
wheIewith to pay the grim ferryman Of
the Styx. Thus dressed, and turned with
his feet toward the door to typify bic
departure, aud surrounded with smoking
incense and lighted candles, he lsy 10 state
sometimes for seven days, being preserved
BY powerful. ,unguents., He was then
borne to the pldce Of burning (cshed restri.
nuns), preceded By musicians aud mourn,
ing women hir~d to lament und psneGyr
ixe hia. They walled sad tore their hair,
and often grow sery noisy in their soua-
terieit- Of, grief =, Then followed. 10
strange contrast to this pageantry Of Voc,
u company Of bu9sosl sad comic actors,
one Of whom, known % tho chief mime
(aroAin;Nts), pSipnatsa, he dsSess1d fs
voice aud gesture Then came immedi.
stely 10 advance Of the corpse, people 10
waxen masks, Who represented the long
line Of his ancestors. 81, Behind the bier
was . PROCESSION Of heirs and kiusmen
alsS tlis slaves whom be had emaneipsted
by bis will, sud who wore white voolsp
caps % . sign that they we're fresmeu
This 10 the origin Of the liberty cap.
Sometimes the procession stopped At the
Forum, where . sulogy was delivered.
On arriving st the srstrinum the body
was placed on the pyre, which was often
Of great siss and msgni6eently adorued.
The 'samo kipsman who had closed the
eyes Of the departed now opened them
again, and, stspding With averted face,
applied torch 10 tie fapsrNl pils., Az
it burned, various articles we're cast into
the 6ameA- aromatic oils and gums,
costly garmonts. aud even live snimals.
Frequently, too, gladiatorisl eombats took
place in honor ,of the, occasion. After
the pile was consumed, the glowing ashes
and bones Of the deceased we're quenohed
With wine a9A, psrfapsd oils and gath
Dred into an urn and deposited in the
tomb. 1t 10 from this ususgs that our
own cemeteries have derived one Of their
most common and yet most beautiful
ornaments, namely, { simple urn sur,
ashsft. II u alao . remarks,
biz example Of tho persistsnoy Of forms
pf speech, that We still talk Of mans p,
nains as his ashes, although the gsaassl
'ustom Of reducing them to ashes ceased
more than fo6ftsen' 'ldSpturles sgo. The
bsing this finished, = priest
Tipped . brauch Of olive Or lsursl 10 pure
Eater and ,Apsipkled the multitude, who
vent away, saying Is they departed, rals
lfirewell), each person rspsstipe this
sord thrss ,imes.-wsstsrn Monthly sorl
peoe@bsr. ',l.,u ,q,j - rano, iot r.a. |