The Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece: A Belief and Funerary Practice studies

Qasim, Luqman Mahmoud; Abdul, Nawzad Taher; Mustafa, Hariwan Saleh; Rasool, Didar Othman

doi:10.32894/1992-1179.2026.167558.1302

	The Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece: A Belief and Funerary Practice studies
Kirkuk University Journal: Humanity Studies
Volume 21, Issue 1, March 2026, Pages 207-257 PDF (1 M)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.32894/1992-1179.2026.167558.1302
Authors
Luqman Mahmoud Qasim^* ¹; Nawzad Taher Abdul¹; Hariwan Saleh Mustafa¹; Didar Othman Rasool²
¹Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zakho
²القسم التاريخ
Abstract
This study sheds light on a comprehensive critical reading of the death concept and the afterlife in Ancient Greece, considering it one of the most significance themes in the Greece religious and philosophical thoughts. The Greece regarded death as a transitional phase separating the living world o from alternative realm governed through godly powers, where the souls’ destinies were determined according to decent and social standards. This study exposes the well-informed background that formed the Greek perception of the nature of the soul, the association between the earthly life and the afterlife, along with their conceptions of the criminal and the divine judgments it requires. The importance of this study lies in exploring the death and the afterlife in Ancient Greece via the theoretical beliefs exploration. It likewise encompasses the careful funerary practices, which created the framework for dealing with the dead in Greek society. Additionally, it places of interest that these funerary practices were not simply religious rites, however a figurative system reflecting the cultural and social dimension of the phenomenon of death. These rituals include. The research assumed a historical-analytical methodology grounded on the classical study of legendary texts and archaeological indication to deliver a unified understanding that combines theoretic conceptions with material appearances. Over and done with this, the research gives to a deeper understanding of the social and functional role of funerary rituals, as well as how these burials paid to firming up the cohesion of Greek society and shaping its religious and cultural identity
Keywords
Death; Soul; Afterlife; Hades; Funerary Rituals

Statistics Article View: 241 PDF Download: 286