Classical Wisdom Litterae - August 2021

40 LITTERAE / ISSUE 64 F rom the creation of Rome in 753 BCE until the mid-second cen- tury AD, cremation was themost common burial rite amongst the Ro- mans. The deceased would be taken to Rome’s necropolis and placed upon a burning pyre of logs. Once the body had turned to ashes, the ashes and re- maining bone fragments were col- lected and placed in a funerary urn. From the mid-second century on, the remains were instead placed inside a sarcophagus, like the one shown here. Yet unlike other Mediterranean cultures, they were buried without their possessions. Marble sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons, c. 260 AD. Metrpolitan Museum, NYC. Ancient Anecdotes The Burial Rites of the Romans BY LAUREN GROFF