For My Research Excursion, I wanted to further examine the beliefs and traditions within Ancient Greece regarding burials, death, and the afterlife, to better understand the significance and context behind these in Antigone. Every society’s thoughts on the afterlife and death, and how they came to believe what they believe about these things, has always been of great interest to me, so while reading Antigone I was really interested in understanding these in the context of Greek society. I wanted to understand what influences or events shaped their views on what should be done with the dead, and why the burial of people like Polyneices was such an important topic within the context of the culture. I also wanted to understand what the Greeks believed about where the dead, such as Polyneices, went to in the afterlife, and how the context of their burial affected them in this new stage. What would happen if they didn’t have a proper burial? What does a proper burial entail? Why is this such an important theme in plays such as Antigone, and is this a trend of the time for these kinds of plays?
I chose to focus on what these beliefs and traditions consisted of, and through points on a map observe trends, events, significant locations, and external factors that shaped and influenced these beliefs and traditions, especially across the various time periods of Ancient Greece (Archaic 8th-5th century BC, Classical 5th-4th century BC, etc.). In my exhibit, I will be concentrating on (x) locations, with each addressing an aspect of what the Greeks believed, why these ideas were developed, or how a specific state, location or event was significant in the shaping of these beliefs. The (x) exhibits are:
• Persepolis - Ceremonial Capital of Persia (Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Classical Period)
• Athens - From Wars to Dramas
• Okeanos (the “Western Sea”/Atlantic) - Routes to Hades
• Sparta - Burial of Soldiers, and the Battle of Thermopylae
Through my research of these various places and their significance in shaping these beliefs, I was better able to understand the actions and words of the characters in Antigone in relation to these topics, as well as some of the reasons as to why Sophocles and other drama writers of the time would place such emphasis on these ideas within their plays. I learned Sophocles was not the only one to make this a central theme to plays he wrote, and that other playwrights of the time did similar, in order to reflect grievances and conflicting thoughts that were ruminating within the public, especially towards authorities and their responsibilities in the burials of their people, soldiers in particular. I also learned some of the background around why those in Antigone were so repulsed by the idea of leaving the body of Polyneices out at the mercy of the elements, without proper burial; a lasting influence of the Greeks’ conflict with and repulsion towards the forces of Persia. I also learned about where the souls of the dead such as Polyneices went after their passing, and why it was of such importance that he had that proper burial. Overall, my research helped me have a much greater understanding of Antigone and Sophocles’ choice of detail throughout the play, and it made me even more interested in how similar topics are viewed throughout the rest of the world.
I hope you enjoy the exhibit. Thank you
Sources:
-Serventi, Zrinka. “Living through the Dead: Burial and Commemoration in the Classical World.” JSTOR, University of Zadar, Department of History, 2013.
-Retief François, and Louise Cilliers. “Burial Customs, the Afterlife and the Pollution Of Death in Ancient Greece.” Acta Theologica, University of the Free State.
-Veale, Sarah. “Fallen Soldiers and the Gods: Religious Considerations in the Retrieval and Burial of the War Dead in Classical Greece.” The Pomegranate, York University, Department of History, 2019.
-Mystakidou, Kyriaki. “Death and Grief in Greek Culture.” Omega, Journal of Death and Dying, Areteion Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 2005.