Gardner, Percy: Sculptured tombs of Hellas (London, 1896)

BURIAL CUSTOMS IN GREECE

3

a somewhat older sister stands at the foot of the bier. To the
left is a group of men, the father, PATEP. a grown-up brother,
AAEU0O5, and two other men. To the extreme right appears
the name, though not the figure, of the grandmother, OEOE,
between whom and the group of men are two other matrons,
carefully distinguished as the aunt and the aunt on the father's
side, OEOI5 and OEOi* PPO$ PATP[0*]. A little child also

FIG. I. LYING IN STATE.

appears by a stool quite at the foot of the couch. The letters
OIMOI in the field represent the waitings of the women.

A beautiful Attic vase of the fifth century (Fig. 2) gives
Us a less quaint but more graceful representation of the
prothesis1. In this case the corpse is that of a woman, who
lies on her bier not merely clad in green garments, but decked
with a necklace. The friends grouped about her are all
women, with hair cut short in sign of mourning, clad in
garments of dark brown, green, or blue. The lady who stands
at the foot of the bier and her neighbour place their hands
on their heads in sism of grief; their dress is that of burgher
ladies; no doubt they are the nearest relatives of the dead.
The girl who stands at the head of the bier is a slave or hired
attendant. She is more simply clad, and carries in one hand

1 Bcnndorf, Griech. und Sicil. Vasenbilder, pi. xxxiii.
B 2