Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition

Ground Floor The Gallo-Roman Population of Switzerland and Their View of Death
Ground Floor
The Gallo-Roman Population of Switzerland and Their View of Death
The Helvetii believed in some form of life after death.
Before they died, some drew up a will settling their succession and giving
instructions concerning their funeral, the choice of their grave and its upkeep, the
funerary banquets, etc. The executor made sure that the will of the deceased was
adhered to.
The funerals were paid for either by the deceased or by their families. Less well
off people joined a collegium funeraticium and regularly contributed to a funerary
fund to cover their burial costs (purchase of ground, construction and upkeep of the
tomb, periodical meals and offerings). Important people within a community were
sometimes granted the honour of a public funeral.
As stipulated by Roman law, the necropolises were situated along the main
roads leading into and out of the towns. The deceased were taken to the cemetery
on a bier carried by members of their immediate family and friends. Inhumation
and cremation coexisted. However, the latter was predominant during the first
two centuries AD. Infants whose teeth had not yet erupted were never cremated
regardless of the period they lived in (display case 2). From the 3rd century AD
onwards, inhumation became the rule, undoubtedly due to the influence of oriental
cults and the rise of Christianity (display case 5).
Cremations were carried out in the open air (1) where the dead were placed
on a pyre along with their personal belongings (clothes, jewellery) and vessels
containing food (display case 3). During the cremation, small flasks with aromatic
plants and perfumes were thrown into the fire. Afterwards the bones were gathered
and placed in urns, which were put into a grave together with some of the burnt
objects (2). In most cases the urns were ceramic or glass vessels (display case 1),
originally intended for domestic use, and sometimes wooden caskets were used
(display case 3); such containers were rarely produced specifically for funerary
purposes.
In the case of inhumation (3) the deceased was placed in a wooden coffin
(display case 4); sarcophagi made of stone or lead –were rare in this region –and
only later became popular. The deceased was usually laid on his or her back, less
frequently on the stomach or on the side. Offerings were often deposited in the
coffin or the grave, but our perception remains incomplete since usually only
objects made of non-perishable materials such as ceramics, glass or metal survived;
traces of food are rarely found and basketry or objects made of leather, wood or
cloth do not often survive.
Once the tomb was closed, its location was marked, in order to remind the living
to respect its inviolability and to honour the memory of the deceased (nos. 1 – 8).
1
2
3
7
Ground Floor