A Comparison of Burial Cultures Between Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome
Abstract
As representatives of ancient Mediterranean civilizations, burial cultures of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome profoundly reflect their respective social structures, core beliefs, and mainstream views, serving as important carriers for understanding different civilizations’ perspectives on life and death This article takes the funerary cultures of ancient Egypt and ancient Rome as the research subjects, conducting a comparative analysis from five dimensions: funeral space and social stratification, the symbolic meaning of material carriers, burial rituals and religious culture, funerary management and social participation, and core concepts of life and death. It reveals the differences in the funeral cultures of the two and explores the underlying reasons. Through comparative analysis, case studies, and literature review methods, this research explains the shaping role of views on life and death under different backgrounds of civilizations on funeral culture, providing a new perspective for understanding the spiritual core and social structure of ancient Western civilization.
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