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Wall text panel written for the Death and Burial exhibit case of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Many extant ancient objects were originally deposited as grave goods in tombs, where they were protected from theft or destruction. Grave gifts often included items that belonged to the deceased, such as mirrors, toys, and even weapons, as well as ceramics. Much of the tableware in this case would have held food and wine offerings to nourish the spirit of the deceased.
Without a proper funeral, a shade, the part of a person left behind after death, could not enter the underworld. Greek funerals began with the prothesis, during which the body was laid out for mourners to visit and pay their respects. Then the body was brought to the cemetery in an ekphora, or funeral procession. The final stage in the funeral was the actual interment. Tombs, statues, and gravemarkers (stelai) marked the sites where visitors could remember and make offerings to the dead.