Two-handled jar with cremation burial - ROM2010_11707_86


Two-handled jar with cremation burial

Medium:Wheel-thrown earthenware
Geography: Italy
Date: c. 225-100 BC
Period: Roman Republic period
31.7 x 30.5 x 27.4 cm
Object number: 910.194.60
Credit Line: Gift of Dr. C.T. Currelly
On view
Gallery Location:Eaton Gallery of Rome: Republican values and daily life

Roman Republican Funerary Customs

In the Republican era, the Romans cremated their dead on funeral pyres, sometimes publicly. The ashes of the deceased were then placed in an urn inside a family tomb. Cemeteries were located outside the city walls so that disgruntled spirits did not disturb the living. In the home, wax or clay masks in the likeness of the deceased adorned the walls; their spirits were often called upon to protect the family.

Roman World