Heritage, or ancestry, was important in the ancient world to both Romans and Jews because there were simply some aspects of life where ancestry offered opportunity. But there is one very interesting practice that the Romans had that some of us are unaware of - the use of funeral masks. The following is a section from the writings of Polybius:
"Whenever someone from the ranks of the illustrious dies, as a part of his funeral procession out of the city he is carried into the forum to the co-called rostra. Usually his body is conspicuous in an upright pose; more rarely, he is lying down. When all the people are standing round, a grown-up son, if the deceased has left one and if he happens to be present, or, if not, some other relative mounts the rostra and speaks about the virtues and lifetime achievements of the deceased...After they have buried him and performed the customary rites, a wax image of the deceased is placed in a very conspicuous spot in the house, in a wooden shrine. This image is a mask made strikingly similar to the facial features and expression of the deceased. The family puts these images on display on the occasion of public sacrifices, decorating them with great care. When any illustrious family member dies, the family takes them to the funeral, putting them on men who seem to be most similar in height and size to the original...When the speaker who delivers the oration for the man to be buried has finished his speech about him, he then mentions the achievements and accomplishments of each of those other men whose masks are present, beginning with the most ancient."
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