Log In
Or create an account ->
Imperial Library
Home
About
News
Upload
Forum
Help
Login/SignUp
Index
List of plates
Preface and acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I Death in the Ancient Near East
1 Osiris and Isis: The life-theology of Ancient Egypt
2 Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda and Ahriman
3 Canaanites and Mesopotamians
4 Mere texts or living realities? The possible influence of the older thanatologies on Judaism and Christianity
PART II From caves and rock-cut tombs to Judaism
5 The general archaeology of the Ancient Near East
6 Judaism: Towards the common era
7 Burying the Jewish dead
8 Good luck with your resurrection! Opening the heavens and raising the dead
PART III Romans and Greeks: A theodicy of good fortune?
9 Roman and Greek philosophies of death
10 Roman religion and Roman funerals
11 Ovid's 'ever-varying forms': Greek mythologies, sarcophagi and the boundaries of mortality
12 Ovid's 'bonds of love and duty': Funerals, epitaphs, orations and death in the arena
PART IV Christians, martyrs, soldiers, saints
13 Christian burial
14 The nature of martyrdom
Epilogue
Sacrificial living and sacrificial dying: Christians in the world
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
1 'Hail and farewell, Dionysius! Hail and farewell, Paramon!': c. fourth century BCE grave slab, depicting a funeral meal, placed in the entrance to the thirteenth century BCE tomb at Orchomenos, Boeotia. Inside the main tomb is a second or third century BCE Macedonian altar.
2 Termessos, Lycian-Galatia. Fifth to first century BCE necropolis, sarcophagi with roof-shaped lids used for primary burial.
3 Telmessos, Lycia (now Fethiye, Turkey). Fourth century BCE extramural necropolis. The tombs, all for men, are cut into the rock-face. Upper right is the tomb of Amytas, whose name is incised inside a benched chamber behind the façade.
4 Beth Shearim, near Tel Aviv, Israel. Jewish catacombnecropolis, second to fourth centuries CE.
5 Jericho, Second Temple. Monumental tomb, together with ritual bath supplied with water by aqueduct. The courtyard was probably used for mourning and memorial services.
6 Jericho, Second Temple. Primary coffin burials in loculi, with one coffin in the 'pit' of the sealed tomb.
7 Jericho, Second Temple. Secondary burial with no trace of coffins or ossuaries, with the skulls placed on top of the piles of bones.
8 Alexandria, Tegran tomb, second century CE. Representation of a mummified corpse, under the winged sun-disc and attended by Isis and Nephthys.
9 Aphroditopolis (Atfih) Cemetery, south of Memphis. Roman-period mummies with gold masks.
10 Hellenistic necropolis, near Ayios Philion, North Cyprus, with graves 'converted' by the addition of the Christian symbol, the fish.
11 'To his daughter Pervica': late second century CE Romano-Celtic gravestone, found at Great Chesters, Northern England.
12 and 13 The second century CE mausoleum of the Flavii, at the Roman 'new town' of Cillium (now Kasserine, Tunisia).
14 Roman, second century CE. White marble cinerarium (ash container) in the form of a tomb. The gable shows a reclining sphinx, symbol of death, one paw resting on a basket with comic male and tragic female masks.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part II
Part II
Part II
Chapter 6
Chapter 9
Chapter 1
Chapter 13
1
Appendix
2
Appendix
3
Chapter 10
1
2
3
Chapter 11
4
Part IV
Part II
Part II
Part IV
Part II
1
Chapter 10
75
8,
51,
68,
72,
73,
115,
118,
119,
204;
86-8,
96-7,
113-14,
123
82-3
158-9
84,
111;
136-8,
157;
112;
32;
151-2;
180
42-5,
211
204,
219-20
90,
205,
207
40,
41
49,
59
162
36-8
33,
66
85,
92
163,
185
48-9,
50,
57
112,
139,
183-5,
202,
203,
206,
209
112,
114,
145,
166
60,
125
138
61
51-2
27,
28,
198,
207
157
49,
50,
210
62-3;
47-8,
49-55,
210-11
41,
65,
111
25
74
57-8
104
13,
16,
18;
13
6,
192
68,
82,
85,
90,
99,
101,
104,
105,
106,
107-8,
118
8,
12,
84;
86-8;
85,
91;
88-94
62-3,
67,
74-5,
77,
78-9,
80,
98
85
29
29-30,
31,
58-9
200,
206-7
20
205,
209
42,
43,
44,
66-7
56
174
1,
191,
195-6,
207
36-8
5,
94;
193;
198-9;
20-1,
35-6,
38;
8-9;
107;
37-8;
104,
167;
78;
71-2,
76-7,
169-70;
170;
193;
75,
99;
67,
74,
80;
107-8;
102,
103;
7-8;
95;
44,
66,
74,
76,
80-1;
14-15,
19;
72-3;
56-7,
73;
55,
192;
194-5,
196;
76,
99
4,
7-8,
185
56
3
112
6-7,
109,
149,
192-3
72-4,
76,
77
73,
148;
148-9,
194-5;
169-70;
19-20
29,
138,
210,
211-12,
213
114
132-3,
134,
149
73
139-40;
171;
20,
139,
170;
152-3,
182;
20
210;
188-9;
12-13,
25-6;
191-2,
194,
195-6;
113,
191-2;
1,
59;
12;
60-1,
64;
13-14;
14-17;
217-20
23,
193-4
128,
135-7,
139,
141-2,
172-3
151-2,
221-4
164,
197,
198
31
78,
80
29,
211
142,
145
182,
184,
206
119
1
47,
48,
49,
57
140-1
185
4-5,
18,
95,
149
44,
66,
67,
149
8,
43-4,
45,
64-5,
73,
80,
105-6,
148,
149
165,
211,
213,
215
3-4,
18,
66,
165,
212;
51-4,
210-11;
28,
68;
68;
42,
68
8,
34,
76,
149,
193
18,
98,
101;
54-5,
56-8;
78-80;
62-3;
80-2;
79;
63-4,
81,
94;
101;
79
56
197
40,
41,
48,
65,
66,
136
3,
51-3,
55
115,
172,
204
40,
65
211,
212
107
10,
122-3,
213
82;
108;
98;
10;
78-9;
81,
98;
82-3;
169;
195;
198-9;
44,
66,
94,
95,
149,
167;
88-90;
199;
73,
152;
145
115,
208-9;
12-17;
1;
30;
156;
96,
99-100,
121-2;
196;
31-2,
35;
2;
7,
50;
141-2;
2-3;
104-5;
68,
92-3;
2
139-40;
142-5,
147
46
194
63
51
198-9
183
28,
35-8
25
139-40,
142
120,
205-6
25
116,
210,
215;
129-30;
65-6;
42,
45,
211
24-5
24,
50,
210;
28;
28;
27-8,
62;
28-39
118
7
159-60
115
53-4
61,
149
51-2
15,
41,
50-1,
53,
58,
115
130
108,
110-12,
136-7,
148,
153-4;
176;
172;
172-3,
176;
170-7;
175-6;
173-4,
177;
173;
177-8;
171,
174-5;
65-6
16-17
175
14,
187-8
211-12,
213,
215
73
5,
142,
147,
149,
167;
152;
146
39
117-18
201-2,
206-7,
208,
218
146
193
123-4
191-2,
194
1,
13,
15,
194
56
6,
42,
108,
112
17
15,
18;
199;
168-9;
34-5;
142,
147;
134-5,
140;
167-70;
141-5,
147-8;
178,
180-1;
142-4,
167,
168-9
150-1;
151-2;
128-9;
150;
149-50
183-4,
206
10
161,
169,
171,
179
27
51
55,
56
85
32-3
25
85,
165;
86-8;
91-4;
88-9;
91,
112,
114;
116
26,
196;
163-4;
182-3;
48-9,
51-4;
135;
68;
127,
128,
132-4,
158-62;
163;
55-6,
68;
47,
48-9;
43
6,
7,
192
15
127
6,
32,
33,
57,
75,
76,
77,
82,
98,
127
24,
25-6;
127,
128,
132-4,
158-62;
27-8;
203,
207-8
13,
15,
19,
41-2
74
210
77-8,
79,
80,
81,
82
6,
9,
88,
132-4
76
27,
99
58
88-9,
91-4,
114
51,
63
6,
88,
91-4
158
155,
165,
182
197
142
28,
40,
48,
66,
180
3,
4,
9,
51,
53,
120,
159,
165,
196;
117-18,
119,
121-2,
180;
44
127
151
137,
140-1
137-8
125,
148,
169,
186
28
168-9
123
54
140,
167,
179
180
7,
8,
185-6;
3
204-5
55
30-1,
115,
163,
185
56,
74,
76-7,
80,
81
77,
82
8,
68,
196,
197;
15;
208,
209;
217-18
10-11,
123-4
23-4,
41,
114-15
90-1
177
107
15,
68
62-3
6
104
18,
25;
60-8
7,
31-2,
35,
65;
43,
45
195-6
198
23
165
12
25
54
142-3,
157-60
213
171-2
182,
183,
184,
185,
206
50,
59
3
170-1,
174-5,
176,
177
28,
35
146
110
211,
212,
213
5,
73,
75,
76
64,
78-9,
92
183
5,
8,
193
178
182,
183,
184-5
23,
131-5
129-30,
141,
161
51,
155,
159,
160,
162,
165,
178
102
34
120
157
139
72,
73,
96-8
24,
26,
108,
155
32
25
51,
53-4,
210-11
49,
56
188,
194-5,
215
139
209
115,
120,
122-3,
181,
203,
215,
217,
219
204,
206-7;
188;
203,
207-8;
203-6,
209;
14;
12,
215;
201-15;
207-8;
205;
203,
207;
214-15
5,
10,
11-12,
14,
117,
120,
121-2,
135-6,
139,
181,
183,
184,
187,
193,
195,
200
118-19,
204
217-18
51,
53
187
90,
107
24,
55-6,
210
172-3
67,
79,
80,
81
118,
119
172,
180,
183
29-30,
34-5
112
6,
44,
84,
97,
102,
103,
111,
118,
119,
204
103
42,
62,
66,
116,
160,
213
48
19,
169-70
4,
68,
128,
136,
160-3,
210;
47,
48-9,
50-4;
155-6,
164-6;
39
99-100
72-3
57,
100,
105,
106-8,
133,
134,
149,
152
29,
32,
35-6,
76,
98
201,
202,
208,
214
55-6,
127-8,
132-4,
135,
158-63
73
131,
185
65,
84
116
42,
43-4,
45-6,
211
54
76
28,
32
2
25
11
6,
77-8,
85,
108-9,
115;
193;
16-17;
75,
108;
170-1,
172-3;
157-60;
29,
30-1,
34,
39,
115,
165,
210
155,
156,
157,
160,
161,
166,
182
187,
205,
209-10
194-5
129
76
145
98,
99,
100,
101
12-13
72
191
115,
178,
181
12
139,
201-3,
206-7,
208,
213-14,
218
24,
40-1,
210
27
214
5,
72
128,
135
183
144-5,
163-4,
166
142,
143
61-2,
66,
160
19,
107,
153,
167,
170,
174,
176
56
157
85,
92
31
29,
33
130,
135
205,
209
16
11
28,
33
33
1;
46;
140;
60-8;
145-6;
6-7
6,
28,
60,
84,
93,
116-17,
120-1,
123,
185,
199-200;
34;
111-12;
112,
114,
117;
196-7;
42-3,
46
182
5,
15,
66,
67,
82,
108
14,
25-6,
110,
112,
128,
157,
163,
209;
191-2;
191-2,
194,
195-6
6-7,
13,
145-6,
195
63,
92-3
2
191
114,
122-3
18,
57-8,
66
198
109,
192,
193
63-4,
66,
72,
99,
134,
142,
169,
184,
196,
204,
208
193,
195-6
139,
202
176
56-7
11,
14,
60,
116,
121,
141,
185,
196,
210
25,
26
210-11
6,
156-60,
165,
193
41-2
214
100-1
93,
114,
120
20,
141,
148,
174
141
55-6
151-2
207-8
85,
99,
100
93,
112,
114,
119-20,
206
159-60
130-1,
207
32,
45
173,
176,
192-3
144,
147,
148,
152-3,
176
88,
91-3
114
170
182
34
71
199
130
6,
16,
199;
179-80;
31;
127-8;
61-2,
135;
130-1;
42-3
9,
160,
165,
179-80
29-30,
31,
39
29,
31,
33
63-4,
201,
204-5,
209
20
25,
130-1
61,
62,
161,
186
142
118-19,
131,
185,
204,
207
114
71
118,
204
84,
85
25
48,
61
24,
26,
48,
164
86-7,
92,
97,
113,
123
114
3-5
51,
141,
178
81-2;
73-4;
44;
55,
74,
74-6,
78,
149;
176-7;
8;
152;
97,
98;
103;
71,
72-3,
77;
57
117
146,
148
63
182
210;
56-7;
47,
48-9,
50;
58
99,
103
55-6
53
74,
106-7,
108,
110-11
23,
35
120
204
129
43-4
130
139,
140,
143,
149-50,
157,
160
180
115,
122,
178-9,
217,
218,
219-20
209
5,
10,
18,
51,
53,
103,
119,
148,
178-81,
188-9
114-19,
121-2,
178-82,
208-9,
217-20
182
211
73
76;
153;
184;
171,
174-5;
142;
162-3;
21,
153,
170;
201-3;
182;
106-7,
149;
19,
170;
51
149-50
136
26,
181
29
128-9,
147,
172,
194
82-3
8,
25,
41-6,
64,
65-6,
67,
211
← Prev
Back
Next →
← Prev
Back
Next →