Bloomsbury Home
The Roman Mourner
Funeral Rites, Gender and the Body
The Roman Mourner
Funeral Rites, Gender and the Body
This product is usually dispatched within 2-4 weeks
- Delivery and returns info
-
Flat rate of $10.00 for shipping anywhere in Australia
Description
To date, mourning has not featured prominently in studies of ancient Roman society, and this book redresses this by presenting a comprehensive analysis of who mourners were and what mourners did, as well as investigating the social, cultural and ritual significance of mourning. It brings together varied evidence, ranging from literature and art to epigraphy, which helps to illustrate the rituals of mourning. Valerie M. Hope addresses fundamental questions about how mourning was expressed, displayed, performed and experienced via the body, and in turn what mourning can reveal about Roman society.
In previous literature on the topic, roles played by mourners in funeral rituals and commemorative acts may be acknowledged, but there has been little engagement with the varied emotional and physical behaviours of mourners. When mourning has been considered, the emphasis has predominantly fallen on gender and specific literary genres. There have hitherto been few attempts to unite the diverse evidence for Roman mourning to consider different literary genres simultaneously or to evaluate how mourning was presented through material culture. The evaluation of social expectations, legal regulations and idealised roles, across a diverse evidence base and time frame, make this volume the first full and systematic study of mourning in the Roman world.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction: Defining and Exploring Mourning
2. Regulating the Mourner
3. Identifying the Mourner
4. Posture, Gait and Position
5. Body: Neglect, Bruises and Blood
6. Hair: Loose, Long and Dishevelled
7. Clothes: Coverings and Colours
8. Face: Countenance and Tear
9. Voice: Silence to Song
10. A Roman Way of Mourning?
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Product details

Published | 10 Jul 2025 |
---|---|
Format | Hardback |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 304 |
ISBN | 9781350320796 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
Illustrations | 20 bw illus |
Dimensions | 234 x 156 mm |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |

ONLINE RESOURCES
Bloomsbury Collections
This book is available on Bloomsbury Collections where your library has access.
