TO BURY the dead is an ancient practice. Believing that the dead may one day rise again and come to life, relatives and community people buried personal belongings that could be used in the next life. These included pottery, food, jewels, ornaments, and weapons. Later on, when archaeologists excavated these ancient sites, the discovered antiquities became a great source of information, enabling historians to trace the history and culture of past societies. However, the practice to bury things ceased when the concept of private property and inheritance established in many societies, and the custom to distribute the dead person’s property among heirs became prevalent.
The tradition of erecting tombstones was started to distinguish the dead. They were not merely signs, but people also inscribed on it the detail of the dead person’s life, his achievements, qualities and a prayer to get a dignified place in paradise. Sometimes, there were verses of famous poets relating to the mortal world and lamentation of worldly pleasures. A reminder to the living that this their last destination. When historians study these inscriptions belonging to different ages, they make attempts to construct the history of the social and cultural values and traditions of a particular period.
For example, if a society believed in the hereafter, the inscriptions showed their beliefs in punishment and reward in the next world. If a society did not believe in any religion, their inscriptions did not deal with gods and their anger or punishment. Historically, fear of the afterlife emerged when the ‘great religions’ appeared and formulated the concept of heaven and hell, reward and punishment for good and bad deeds on the Day of Judgment. In pagan societies, there was no fear of death; it was regarded as a natural phenomenon that was accepted without any concern.
In this respect, the inscriptions on Roman tombstones and their readings are very interesting. Archaeologists and historians studied nearly 100,000 epitaphs of Roman tombs that show that they did not believe much in the hereafter, and even after death their interest in worldly affairs was not over. It was a Roman custom that nobles and resourceful persons used to build their tombs outside the city, on both sides of the roads, with the purpose that travellers and passersby should visit their graves and read the inscriptions on their tombstones. The writings are purely related to their private affairs. There are advice and instructions to relatives and friends, and curses to rivals and enemies. Good wishes to passersby. In one of the epitaphs, travellers are addressed: “Read, passing friend, what role I played in this world. And now that you have read, have a pleasant journey.” A traveller, in response, inscribed on the tomb: “You take care, too.”
Some people left their message generally to the public, telling them to learn lessons from their life. In one of the inscription it is said: “I lived meanly so long as it was given me to live, and I advise you to enjoy yourself more than I did. That’s life: You get this far and too farther. I never heeded the advice of my philosopher. Beware of the doctors: they are the ones who killed me.”
Some, even after their death, never forget their opponents and castigated them from their graves. A noble whose freed man betrayed him, dubbed him as a highway robber. A father announced that he disinherited his disobedient daughter. A mother accused another woman, believing that she had poisoned her son. One of the epitaphs expresses the hope that his wicked friend would feel the wrath of the gods of heaven and hell.
Death of a child or young person was mourned and sorrows were expressed on epitaph. In one of such case, it is inscribed: “He was kidnapped by Bacchus to become his intimate and companion.” Commenting on this Roman custom, Paul Veyne writes in A History of Private Life: “We know for a fact that when a Roman felt like reading a little, he took a walk outside the city. Epitaphs were easier to read than the cursive script of books. None spoke of suffering of the bereaved; all mentioned the social role of the deceased and his faithful discharge of duties towards family and friends. To make dinner conversation about one host’s tombstone was not a social gaffe, likely to bring morbid thought to his mind. He would have been reassured, rather, that his dignity and virtues could remain in the public eye after he was gone.”
It shows that how the concept of death has changed from time to time. However, one thing is certain — man’s deep desire is to be remembered after his death. Some of them are remembered for a short period and some of them, who are lucky, remembered as saviours and heroes for a longer time. One cannot deny the role of epitaphs and inscriptions on tombstones that keep the memory of dead persons alive.
