... The men entered from the right with their right arm raised which contrasts sharply with the "wild ecstasy of the women"(Alexiou, 7), who stand in varying attitudes and postures around the grave site. "The chief mourner usually clasps the head of the dead man with both hands, while the others may try to touch his hand, their own right hand stretched over him. Most frequently both hands are raised above the head, sometimes beating the head and visibly pulling at their loosed hair " (Alexiou, 6). One painting actually shows the hair coming out. The violent tearing of the hair, face, and clothes were not just acts of uncontrolled grief, but "part of the ritual indispensable to lamentation involved movement as well as wailing and singing"(Alexiou, 6). Objects associated with the transition from life to death reveal much about the ancient world. The primary mourner "dedicated a lock of hair, ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now