Death and Burial in the Roman World

TLDR

Toynbee’s book offers the most comprehensive overview of Roman burial practices across the empire, covering diverse regions and perspectives. She finds that few Romans believed in the Elysian Fields, that burial rituals often included commemorative meals and overnight stays, and that cemeteries varied in layout, tomb type, markers, and furnishings for both rich and poor.

Abstract

Never before available in paperback, J. M. C. Toynbee's study is the most comprehensive book on Roman burial practices. Ranging throughout the Roman world from Rome to Pompeii, Britain to Jerusalem-Toynbee's book examines funeral practices from a wide variety of perspectives. First, Toynbee examines Roman beliefs about death and the afterlife, revealing that few Romans believed in the Elysian Fields of poetic invention. She then describes the rituals associated with burial and mourning: commemorative meals at the gravesite were common, with some tombs having built-in kitchens and rooms where family could stay overnight. Toynbee also includes descriptions of the layout and finances of cemeteries, the tomb types of both the rich and poor, and the types of grave markers and monuments as well as tomb furnishings.