Death in Ancient Rome: A Sourcebook

by Valerie M. Hope

Presenting a wide range of relevant, translated texts on death, burial and commemoration in the Roman world,this book is organized thematically and supported by discussion of recent scholarship. The breadth of material included ensures that this sourcebook will shed light on the way death was thought about and dealt with in Roman society.

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Dr. Valerie M. Hope is a Lecturer in the Department of Classical Studies at the Open University, Milton Keynes, England.

Dr Hope studied for her first degree in Ancient History at University College Swansea, and then took an MA in Roman Social History at the University of Reading. A Ph.D. on Roman funerary monuments followed. She then taught in the Classics Department at the University of Reading for several years, before joining the Department of Classical Studies at the Open University.

Reviews

[Ellana Thornton-Wheybrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly useful, covers a large number of genres (inscriptions, poetry, letters etc.) all on death, funerals, and grief.

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Death in Ancient Rome" is an excellent overview of the attitudes and beliefs about death, survival of the soul, and the afterlife of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, which stretched from modern-day Scotland around the Mediterranean to Turkey. Valerie Hope makes it clear that different cultures varied in their beliefs and practices; however, there were common themes. In the final analysis, ancient people had the same spectrum of beliefs as modern humans: the gods did/didn't exist, the soul did/didn't exist, and there was/wasn’t reward/punishment after death. However, one main difference between modern society and the ancients was that death was very much a part of everyday life in Ancient Rome. The sick did not go to a hospital but were treated in the home, there was high infant mortality, and a much higher mortality rate among teens onward than in modern society. The ancients were constantly surrounded by and reminded of the fragility of life.