Tomb of 1,000 Roman Skeletons | National Geographic

these rituals were specific and followed
with exact precision all starting with a
death vigil held by relatives at the
dying persons side massimo carnevale
a PhD candidate and La Sapienza
University in Rome has extensively
studied the burial rites of the ancient
Romans Segundo the wife followed the
dying man closely along with his
relatives at the very moment of the
passing of his death the wife kissed the
deceased because it was believed that at
that very moment the soul rose from his
mouth this way the wife would now have
the soul within her and could protect it
in this case the wife of the dead man
would close his eyes the man’s relatives
would enter and shout the man’s name
three times
the wife would request that the family’s
slave put out the lamp light which would
only be relit once the funeral
activities were finished she once the
wife and relatives had left the
bedchamber the liberty’ naari would
enter they were in charge of the
preparation of the body the libertine re
undressed the body washed it and then
the pulling tors would bathe the body in
unguent he would then be placed once
again on his bed and dressed in his
finest clothes also his jewels rings and
necklaces after this flowers and pieces
of amber would be placed on the body
the entire funeral bed had been
decorated the relatives and wife were
allowed back in the room along with them
came the mourners women paid
specifically to cry
howl and tear out their hair this
practice exists in Italy to this day
noble West erotica after this exercise
along with a musician the deceased was
taken in a court edge to the Sepulcher
for the intimation or cremation of the
body