Death and Burial in the Roman World - Softcover

Toynbee, J. M. C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801855071 ISBN 13: 9780801855078

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996

Synopsis

The most comprehensive book on Roman burial practices―now available in paperback

Never before available in paperback, J. M. C. Toynbee's study is the most comprehensive book on Roman burial practices. Ranging throughout the Roman world from Rome to Pompeii, Britain to Jerusalem―Toynbee's book examines funeral practices from a wide variety of perspectives. First, Toynbee examines Roman beliefs about death and the afterlife, revealing that few Romans believed in the Elysian Fields of poetic invention. She then describes the rituals associated with burial and mourning: commemorative meals at the gravesite were common, with some tombs having built-in kitchens and rooms where family could stay overnight. Toynbee also includes descriptions of the layout and finances of cemeteries, the tomb types of both the rich and poor, and the types of grave markers and monuments as well as tomb furnishings.

About this title

About the Author

J. M. C. Toynbee was Lawrence Professor of Classical Archaeology at Cambridge University and an honorary Fellow of Newnham College. Before her death in 1985, she served as a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Numismatic Society, and as a member of the faculty of the British School in Rome. She authored numerous articles and books, including Art in Roman Britain,The Art of the Romans,Roman Historical Portraits, and Roman Life and Art in Britain.

From the Back Cover

Never before available in paperback, J. M. C. Toynbee's study is the most comprehensive book on Roman burial practices. Ranging throughout the Roman world - from Rome to Pompeii, from Britain to Jerusalem - Toynbee's book examines funeral practices from a wide variety of perspectives. Toynbee first examines Roman beliefs about death and the afterlife, revealing that few Romans believed in the Elysian Fields of poetic invention. She then describes the rituals associated with burial and mourning: commemorative meals at the gravesite were common, with some tombs having built-in kitchens and rooms in which family could stay overnight. Toynbee also includes descriptions of the layout and finances of cemeteries, the tomb types of both the rich and the poor, and the types of grave markers and monuments, as well as tomb furnishings.

Edition details

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0801855071
• ISBN 13: 9780801855078
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336