Abstract
Ancient Greece did not contemplate embalming practices meant to preserve bodies for eternity. Reports of a mummy found by Schliemann are not to be trusted, while there is some literary evidence of temporary forms of honeymediated embalming practices adopted for Spartan kings. Greeks rejected the importance of preserving bodies for eternity because, as it can be found in Plato's work Phaedo, the soul was considered more important than the body and the only truly immortal element.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Handbook of Mummy Studies |
| Subtitle of host publication | New Frontiers in Scientific and Cultural Perspectives |
| Editors | Dong Hoon Shin, Raffaella Bianucci |
| Place of Publication | Singapore |
| Publisher | Springer Nature |
| Chapter | 36 |
| Pages | 877-882 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789811533549 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789811533532 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- Ancient greece
- Archaeology
- Classics
- Mummies
- Plato
- Schliemann