Click here for some lovely pictures of Unguentaria, often associated with ancient Roman burials. They are believed to have held various perfumes and potions on behalf of the deceased... and possibly even the tears of mourning relatives (hence, they're also known as Lacrimaria)...
What might such rituals suggest about connections (and perhaps obligations) between the living and the dead?
7 comments:
Perhaps, if these vials did hold tears of mourners, those tears were essential to the proper burial of the deceased. Maybe this proof of mourning would sway the God's of the underworld to be sympathetic. If someone had no tears to present to the underworld, I guess they might be treated less justly. This could have motivated the living to positively interact with each other. If you were unpleasant, no one would bear tears for you, somehow punishing or hindering you from having a comfortable afterlife...?
Deirdre Adams
Maybe the perfumes were to mask the scent of a decaying body.
Tears put into the bottle could show the gods of the underworld that the person was missed, and therefore maybe worthy to be mourned. Perhaps if there was no proof that the deceased was good enough to be mourned, their time in the afterlife would be less pleasant.
Margaret Ransdell-Green
The two comments above are very good thoughts, I definatley agree with them. The idea of the lack of moarning will cause for a reprocution in the after life and the use of perfumes to hide the smells of decay, very good thoughts. I also think that maybe the use of potions on the jounrney to the after life could aid them. For example the dead would take scrolls with spells of sorts, but maybe they took potions with them to protect them from various things throughout their journey.
Emily Peterson-Wood
I agree about the perfume part. I have heard a lot of people talking about spraying perfume on the casket trying to mask it. Tears can represent many things; happiness, joy, envy. I think the ritual could suggest that they had loved ones. That it is a tragedy that they are gone and that they are going to be missed. And it might be an offering or a connection of the loved ones even when the deceased is in the dead zone.
- Tia Kraus
All the previous comments above mine are great and I agree with all of them! Maybe the Romans kept potions in these Unguentaria so the dead could use them while in the underworld. Maybe they where connected with magic? It's hard to tell.
-Rachel Levy
Somthing for the dead to bring with them to know that they will be missed by the living, maby.
Casey Somerville
These bottles have really cool colors and shapes. The different shapes of the bottles could indicate a specific use for it whether it be ritualistic or for recreational use.
-Taylor E.
Post a Comment