For the people of Ancient Greece, proper burial in their native land was extremely important. Each of the aspects of burial we have examined were believed to be crucial if the deceased was to successfully reach the next world. Many of these procedures, especially the prothesis and its laments, were centered around women. Although it is difficult to fully understand what women's lives in Ancient Greece were like through male sources, frequent female depictions on funeral vases and in plays such as Supplicant Women lead historians to believe that they were not completely excluded from the political and social community. Even though Solon's laws placed restrictions on their role, female participation in the funerary ritual was critical and could not be eradicated. The popular view of women in Ancient Greece is that they were mistreated and undervalued. However, rituals such as the funeral prove that, at least in some aspects of their culture, they had a very important part to play. Plato quotes in Hippias Major, that the best thing of all in Ancient Greece was "to be rich, healthy, honored by the Greeks, reach old age, and, after burying one's parents well, to be laid out well by ones' own children and buried magnificently." In a society where proper burial is so highly prized, it is significant that this task is entrusted to the women. For more information on women's lives in Ancient Greece, click on the site below.
World
Cultures Ancient and Modern: University of Pennsylvania Museum
of Archaeology and Anthropology