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Key Themes in Ancient History
Death-Ritual and Social Structure in Classical Antiquity
The chief purpose of this book is to show how burials may be used as a uniquely informative source for Greek and Roman social history. Burials permit a far wider range of inference and insight than the literary texts produced by and for a narrow social elite, and by studying them in depth Dr. Morris is able to offer new interpretations of social change in Graeco-Roman antiquity. The major interdisciplinary importance of the book lies in its attempt to break down barriers between archaeologists and historians of different societies and cultures.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 8, 2025
Depending on the way in which you approach this book it might be either one of the best books on ancient "death-ritual" on the market, or one of the worst.
This book is great in doing what it set out to do; being a "methodological book" that convincingly shows that "a kind of evidence that most ancient historians ignore is in fact a vital resource; and when historians have used it, it has generally been in the least appropriate ways." For more modern ancient historians Morris conclusions might seem rather self explanatory, but a (as of the time of writing) 33 year development in the field is a big gap to bridge. Especially since this development was indubitably at least partially inspired by this work.
On the other hand, the aim of this book leads to inherent deficiencies in the actual scope of the work. Deficiencies which Morris himself acknowledges. The most egregious one being the fact that Morris spends nearly no time on deviant burials, and e.g. heroic cult gets mentioned only in passing. It is rather shocking that a book on the social aspects of "death ritual" in Classical antiquity includes little to no discussion on the broader religious framework. Religion was intrinsically bound to social structure in antiquity, and not taking it into account is an oversight that is hard to accept.
One of the strenghts and pitfalls of this book is the fact that Morris "chose problems outside of [his] field of specialisation —Dark Age and Archaic Greece." These examples definitely strenghten his overall point, but their inclusion as chapters 4 and 5, stuck between an otherwise Roman-centric argument in the other chapters makes for a confusing read. The book would be better served by pulling the chapters on Greece to the front of the book, thus going for a chronological order. Furthermore, Greek material is thorough, but scarce.
To summarise; this book convincingly argues why ancient historians should consider funerary culture as a vital source of our understanding of ancient society. Furthermore, it presents scholars with clear and useful way how to do this. That being said, this is book hindered by some choices on structure and the character of its goals.
All in all this book is a great guide for students and those looking for an introduction in the field, but serious scholars will (on account three decades having elapsed since publication) find relatively little new information or ideas.
This book is great in doing what it set out to do; being a "methodological book" that convincingly shows that "a kind of evidence that most ancient historians ignore is in fact a vital resource; and when historians have used it, it has generally been in the least appropriate ways." For more modern ancient historians Morris conclusions might seem rather self explanatory, but a (as of the time of writing) 33 year development in the field is a big gap to bridge. Especially since this development was indubitably at least partially inspired by this work.
On the other hand, the aim of this book leads to inherent deficiencies in the actual scope of the work. Deficiencies which Morris himself acknowledges. The most egregious one being the fact that Morris spends nearly no time on deviant burials, and e.g. heroic cult gets mentioned only in passing. It is rather shocking that a book on the social aspects of "death ritual" in Classical antiquity includes little to no discussion on the broader religious framework. Religion was intrinsically bound to social structure in antiquity, and not taking it into account is an oversight that is hard to accept.
One of the strenghts and pitfalls of this book is the fact that Morris "chose problems outside of [his] field of specialisation —Dark Age and Archaic Greece." These examples definitely strenghten his overall point, but their inclusion as chapters 4 and 5, stuck between an otherwise Roman-centric argument in the other chapters makes for a confusing read. The book would be better served by pulling the chapters on Greece to the front of the book, thus going for a chronological order. Furthermore, Greek material is thorough, but scarce.
To summarise; this book convincingly argues why ancient historians should consider funerary culture as a vital source of our understanding of ancient society. Furthermore, it presents scholars with clear and useful way how to do this. That being said, this is book hindered by some choices on structure and the character of its goals.
All in all this book is a great guide for students and those looking for an introduction in the field, but serious scholars will (on account three decades having elapsed since publication) find relatively little new information or ideas.
November 27, 2007
for my death & the afterlife in the ancient world class. a clear, useful introduction to greek and roman death rituals. morris' style is informal but he makes good use of serious scholarship. his analysis of a rhodesian cemetery is a good wrap-up that neatly aligns his thinking and his methods into an understandable conclusion.
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