Roman Republican Funerary Customs

In the Republican era, the Romans cremated their dead on funeral pyres, sometimes publicly. The ashes of the deceased were then placed in an urn inside a family tomb. Cemeteries were located outside the city walls so that disgruntled spirits did not disturb the living. In the home, wax or clay masks in the likeness of the deceased adorned the walls; their spirits were often called upon to protect the family.