Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

FUNUS.

189

FUNUS.

according to the Twelve Tables, to be left
rough and unpolished, but were frequently
covered with dark leaves. Cypress trees
were sometimes placed before the pile. On
the top of the pile the corpse was placed,
witli the couch on which it had been carried,
and the nearest relation then set fire to the
pile with his face turned away. When the
flames began to rise, various perfumes were
thrown into the fire, though this practice
was forbidden by the Twelve Tables ; cups
of oil, ornaments, clothes, dishes of food, and
other things, which were supposed to be
agreeable to the deceased, were also thrown
upon the flames. The place where a person
was burnt was called bustum, if he was after-
wards buried on the same spot, and tistrina
or ustrinum if he was buried at a different
place. Sometimes animals were slaughtered
at the pile, and in ancient times captives and
slaves, since the manes were supposed to be
fond of blood ; but afterwards gladiators,
called bustuarii, were hired to fight round
the burning pile. When the pile was burnt
down, the embers were soaked with wine,
and the bones and ashes of the deceased
were gathered by the nearest relatives,
who sprinkled them with perfumes, and
placed them in a vessel called urna, which
was made of various materials, accord-
ing to the circumstances of individuals.
The urnae were also of various shapes,
but most commonly square or round ;
and upon them there was usually an
inscription or epitaph (titulus or epi-
taphium), beginning with the letters
D. M. S., or only D. M., that is, Dis
Manibus Sackum, followed by the name
of the deceased, with the length of his
life, &c. The woodcut opposite is a
representation of a sepulchral urn in
the British Museum. It is of an up-
right rectangular form, richly orna-
mented with foliage, and supported at
the sides with pilasters. It is to the
memory of Cossutia Prima. Its height
is 21 inches, and its width at the base
14 inches 6-8ths. Below the inscrip-
tion an infant genius is represented
driving a car drawn by four horses.—
After the bones and ashes of the de-
ceased had been placed in the urn, the
persons present were thrice sprinkled
by a priest with pure water from a
branch of olive or laurel for the pur-
pose of purification ; after which they
were dismissed by the praefica, or some
other person, by the solemn word Ilicet,
that is, ire licet. At their departure they
were accustomed to bid farewell to the

The urns were placed in sepulchres, which,
as already stated, were outside the city,
though in a few cases we read of the dead
being buried within the city. Thus Valerius
Publicola, Tubertus, and Fabriri.ua, were
buried in the city ; which right their de-
scendants also possessed, but did not use.
The vestal virgins and the emperors were
buried in the city.—The verb sepclire, like
the Greek Oarrreiv, was applied to every mode
of disposing of the dead; and sepulcmm sig-
nified any kind of tomb in which the body or
bones of a man were placed. The term
humare was originally used for burial in the
eaith, but was afterwards applied like sepe-
lire to any mode of disposing of the dead :
since it appears to have been the custom,
after the body was burnt, to throw some
earth upon the bones.—The places for burial
were either public or private. The pubiic
places of burial were of two kinds ; one for
illustrious citizens, who were buried at the
public expense, and the other for poor citizens,
who could not afford to purchase ground for
the purpose. The former was in the Campus
Martins, which was ornamented with the
tombs of the illustrious dead, and in the
Campus Esquilinus ; the latter was also in
the Campus Esquilinus, and consisted of small
pits or caverns, called puticuli or put teniae;

deceased by pronouncing the word Vale. | Sepulchral Urn in British Museum.