Let's Talk About Dead People

This beautiful work of sculpted art is not part of a museum or an archaeological dig, but can be found in Proto Nekrotafio, the First Cemetery of Athens. I had to do a site report on this cemetery, and I'm so glad I did because I may not have taken the time to visit it otherwise. I live in front of a cemetery, and I've been to a few others, and I always figured that if you've seen one then you've seen them all. I was wrong.

The cemetery opened in the 19th century and was the hot spot to be buried for the rich and famous Greek population. It didn't so much discriminate against the lower classes, but the mausoleums were not cheap, and a mausoleum was the only way to ensure your spot in that cemetery forever. After three years of being buried, the bones of the deceased are dug up and washed in wine by their family. Has that last statement fully hit you yet? Could you imagine digging up the bones of a dead family member and washing them? Yeah, I didn't think so. Anyway, if their bones were not in a mausoleum, they are moved to an ossuary.

So, this is a picture of something I probably wasn't supposed to see. A very poorly taken care of excuse for an ossuary. You can see some of the bone boxes are open and the bones are clearly visible and exposed to the elements. You can also see for yourself how high the boxes are stacked, and towards the back you can even make our pictures on the boxes to make out who the bones belong to. I have some good shots of the bones, too, but I wasn't sure if that would be a bit too much for you guys, but if you want to see them just let me know and I'll upload them. Anyway, if you didn't fork over the money for a mausoleum, this is where your bones end up.

A lot of the mausoleums are family tombs. The Greeks basically do everything as a family, and I guess death is no exception. It's beautiful, really, how important family is in this culture. You can also tell what the family held dear by what is sculpted on the mausoleum. Most of it is religious, such as crosses or Bibles. There are also pictures of the loved ones before they died, usually in their old age, and other personal belongings may also be left there. The family also pays for someone to come around and keep a candle lit. There were a few graves that haven't been taken care of in a while, which usually means the family has moved away and stopped taking care of the grave.

Here's and example of a family tomb.

And here's an example of a mausoleum that is no longer being taken care of.

The whole experience was morbidly beautiful, and totally different than anything I ever experienced. In America, someone dies, we hold a funeral for them, put them in their neat spot in the ground, surrounded by uniform graces of equal size and give them a headstone that looks just like all the rest of them. We say our goodbyes, and try to forget about the pain felt due to the loss. We try to make order and control something that is usually complete chaos. In Greece, they embrace it. The allow a sense of individuality in death with their beautiful sculpture and art, and it isn't uncommon to see Greek families eating a picnic lunch in the cemetery with the deceased loved ones. Even the cleaning of the bones is beautiful. It seems harsh, but emotionally, the Greeks are much better off in their acceptance of death.