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HOME Forword Selected sources |
Glossary Amphora large storage jar with two handles used to hold wine, oil and fish-sauce. Anthropoid sarcophagus A human-shaped coffin, such as the Egyptian mummy cases. Atrium Central hall of a Roman house. Baetylia Upright stones believed to be inhabited or even animated by supernatural or divine forces. Especially common in Phoenicia. Catacombs Underground cemeteries, particularly known from late antique Rome, where they were mainly used by the Christian population. Catacombs are also found in places, like Syracuse (Sicily), Alexandria (Egypt) and Jerusalem (Israel). Cippus Column with funerary inscriptions used as memorial in large parts of the Roman world. Cist A small stone coffin-like box used to hold the remains of the dead. Clipeus Latin for circular metal shield, also used for the round, central inscription plaques carved on sarcophagi. Coffin Chest, usually made of wood, used to hold the bodies of the dead. A coffin can be carried in a funeral procession, in contrast to the heavier sarcophagi. Collegium An association of merchants or craftsmen, such as carpenters, that provided for the funeral and burial of its members. Originally a term used for a community of priests. Columbarium A Latin word which originally meant dovecote. Later used for tombs made to house cremation containers in niches in the walls. Cremation: The rite of burning the body of the deceased. Damnatio memoriae An effective public sanction directed towards individuals who were considered guilty of disgraceful behaviour by condemning their memory to oblivion. To a Roman, being remembered after one’s death was of crucial importance. Thus having one’s portrait or likeness publicly destroyed was regarded as an extreme form of condemnation and the ultimate humiliation. Dexiosis: The gesture of handshake used in Greek art, known as dextrarum iunctio in Latin, often used in sarcophagus iconography. Hypogeum Underground grave chamber or series of chambers. Inhumation Burial of the intact body of the dead. Kliné: Dining couch. Kokh (pl. kokhim) Horizontal burial shaft in the walls of Palestine tombs. Larnax Greek chest (2nd half of the 2nd millennium BC), smaller than a sarcophagus, that contained a body in a flexed position. Lekythos Pitcher-like, slender Greek vase with one handle used for perfume and anointment oil. Libation The ritual pouring of a drink as an offering to a god or the dead. Loculus Niche or shaft in the tomb, which contains the body of the dead. Martyrium A monument, building or part of a building, where a martyr is worshipped. It usually contains the sepulchre, or a relic of the martyr. Necropolis (Greek for “city of the dead”) A large cemetery or burying place. Nefesh A stone or monument that contains the soul of the dead, according to Arab and Aramaic religious beliefs. A nefesh can also be the grave marker itself. Ossilegium A type of burial practiced by early Jewish communities, where the bones of the dead are collected and reburied in a chest (ossuary) or charnel house. Ossuary Chest to hold the ashes and calcified bones of the dead. Relic Part of the body of a saint, or part of an object touched by a holy person. Reliquary Receptacle for a relic. Stele A stone or wooden slab erected as a memorial and which can be inscribed, carved in relief or painted. Triclinium Dining room. In a Roman house, dining took place on three couches, leaving the fourth side open for serving. Large houses could have several triclinia placed around the atrium in order to accommodate more guests. Votive relief A relief that is dedicated to a god.
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