Abstract
Death is a universal event. But how is death conceptualized? Not death as in its scientific terms or in personal terms, but how does each culture answer the question “what happens next?” When that question has a concrete answer, popular ways of interacting with this “next” create a social space for death to exist in. The creation of social boundaries entail such requirements as etiquette between different groups and ritual to mark social transition. Disregarding the boundaries between the living and the dead would invite disaster on a supernatural level. To better explore these concepts, this paper will examine three different time periods in the same region and examine how death worked within the social structure. These are: Ancient Greece [between 700 BC to 400 CE], Serbia & Greece in the 17th/18th centuries, and rural Greece in the 1970s. These three periods provide snapshots in time within the same geographic area, allowing for present-day observers to examine the changes in how death was addressed as a social status.
Presenters
Milo Rhys TeplinAsst. Archeologist, Cultural Resources Management, SWCA Environmental Consultants, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Religion in the Public Sphere: From the Ancient Years to the Post-Modern Era
KEYWORDS
Ritual, Funerals, Cross-Analysis, Greece, Burial, Mourning, Supernatural
