Offerings, Rituals, and the Logic of Grave Gifts

In this episode, my guest is Robert Garland, a British classical philologist and historian who is the Roy D. and Margaret B. Wooster Professor of the Classics at Colgate University. He is the author of numerous works on ancient Greek and Roman history, including The Greek Way of Death and Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks. His most recent book, however, is What to Expect When You're Dead: An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife.

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Highlights

* In your research, what most surprised you about how ancient cultures looked at death?

* What do we gain by thinking about death? For example, a central Stoic practice is called memento mori—reflecting on one’s mortality. They think wrapping our heads around death can help us to live more wisely, do you agree?

* Your book examines beliefs from Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Mesopotamians. Are there any common factors? What are the biggest differences between them?

* Did groups within these cultures who faced death more frequently, such as soldiers or perhaps Roman gladiators, have a different perspective on death?

* How did ordinary Greeks and Romans differ in their beliefs from the sort of thing we find in the writings of ancient philosophers? To what extent did philosophical views influence popular culture?

* Many people today turn to philosophy, and Stoicism in particular, to regain a sense of control in uncertain times. In a world where so much was attributed to fate or the gods, how did the contemplation of their own mortality console people facing hardship and loss?

* Has your own attitude toward death changed as a result of your research?

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