What do tombstones tell us

Luke Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Matthew One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Unseen, unheard, You are always near, So missed, so loved, so very dear. Martin Luther King Jr. Free at Last. Babe Ruth "May the divine spirit that animated Babe Ruth to win the crucial game of life inspire the youth of America! Why Should I Attend a Funeral? For many, attending a funeral can be quite difficult and uncomfortable. However, there are several important reasons that might make you reconsider your choice of not going.

The 10 Most Memorable Funerals in History. In this blog post we break down 10 of the most famous funerals of all time. Take a look at what made these funerals so special and why they drew so much attention. Often at our funeral home we see the issues that arise when someone has not written a will.

Take some time to learn about the benefits of writing a will and why you should start thinking about it today. There are many reasons to preplan a funeral and we have listed our top 6.

Learn more about preneed funeral plans in this blog. Words of Sympathy at a Funeral. Coming up with the perfect words of sympathy can be challenging. We give you great examples of what to say at a funeral and what not to.

What to Wear to a Funeral. Are you confused about what to wear to a funeral? Click here for guidance and tips on proper funeral attire. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to go to a funeral service without seeing flowers displayed. Flowers have long been a part of funeral services. In fact, according to some, funeral flowers date back over 62, years. Even if you are unable to attend the service, many people choose to send flowers to express their condolences and be a part of the day nonetheless.

How Do You Want to be Remembered? The shape of the container in which the ashes were placed may have taken the form of a simple box or a marble vase, but no matter what it looked like it was called an "urn," derived from the Latin uro, meaning "to burn. As burial became a more common practice, the urn continued to be closely associated with death.

The urn is commonly believed to testify to the death of the body and the dust into which the dead body will change, while the spirit of the departed eternally rests with God. The cloth draping the urn symbolically guarded the ashes. The shroud-draped urn is believed by some to mean that the soul has departed the shrouded body for its trip to heaven. Others say that the drape signifies the last partition between life and death. The Eastern Orthodox Cross is distinctively different from other Christian crosses, with the addition of two extra cross beams.

The slanted beam on the bottom, generally sloping down from left to right, is a bit more subjective in meaning. One popular theory circa the eleventh century is that it represents a footrest and the slant symbolizes a balance scale showing the good thief, St.

Dismas, having accepted Christ would ascend to heaven, while the bad thief who rejected Jesus would descend to hell. A hand with the index finger pointing upward symbolizes the hope of heaven, while a hand with forefinger pointing down represents God reaching down for the soul. Seen as an important symbol of life, hands carved into gravestones represent the deceased's relationships with other human beings and with God. Cemetery hands tend to be shown doing one of four things: blessing, clasping, pointing, and praying.

The horseshoe can symbolize protection from evil, but may also symbolize an individual whose profession or passion involved horses. Ivy carved into a tombstone is said to represent friendship, fidelity and immortality. The hardy, evergreen leaf of the ivy denotes immortality and rebirth or regeneration.

Just try and dig out the ivy in your garden to see how tough it is! Heraldic shields and coats of armor on a tombstone are often a sign that it marks the spot of a fallen Knight of Pythias. The Order of Knights of Pythias is an international fraternal organization which was founded in Washington D.

It began as a secret society for government clerks. At its peak, the Knights of Pythias had close to one million members. Symbols of the organization often include the letters F B C - which stand for friendship, benevolence and charity the ideals and principles which the order promotes.

Laurel, especially when fashioned in the shape of a wreath, is a common symbol found in the cemetery. It can represent victory , distinction, eternity or immortality. The lion serves as a guardian in the cemetery, protecting a tomb from unwanted visitors and evil spirits.

It symbolizes the courage and bravery of the departed. Lions in the cemetery can usually be found sitting on top of vaults and tombs, watching over the final resting place of the departed. They also represent the courage, power, and strength of the deceased individual. The mighty oak tree, often represented as oak leaves and acorns, signifies strength, honor, longevity and steadfastness. The olive branch, often depicted in the mouth of a dove, symbolizes peace - that the soul has departed in the peace of God.

The association of the olive branch with wisdom and peace originates in Greek mythology where the goddess Athena gave an olive tree to the city that was to become Athens. Greek ambassadors carried on the tradition, offering an olive branch of peace to indicate their good intentions. An olive leaf also makes an appearance in the story of Noah. The olive tree is also known to represent longevity, fertility, maturity, fruitfulness and prosperity. A sleeping child was often used to signify death during the Victorian era.

As expected, it generally decorates the grave of a baby or young child. Figures of sleeping babies or children often appear with very few clothes, symbolizing that young, innocent children had nothing to cover up or hide.

The Sphinx , featuring the head and torso of a human grafted to the body of a lion, guards the tomb. This popular neo-Egyptian design is sometimes found in modern cemeteries.

The male Egyptian sphinx is modeled after the Great Sphinx at Giza. The female, often appearing bare-breasted, is the Greek Sphinx. The most common of the Masonic symbols is the compass and square standing for faith and reason. The square in the Masonic square and compass is a builder's square, used by carpenters and stonemasons to measure perfect right angles. In Masonry, this is a symbol of the ability to use the teachings of conscience and morality to measure and verify the rightness of one's actions.

The compass is used by builders to draw circles and lay off measurements along a line. I am not. I care not. Learn more about the dramatic collapse of the Roman Republic. Funerary epitaphs provided knowledge about facets of Roman society, a proven rich resource.

Tombstones conveyed information about the range of professions and the types of employment available to ancient Romans. Historians performed statistical analyses in order to discern patterns of mortality and to extrapolate information about life expectancy. The greatest contribution of tombstones was the manner in which they recorded the actual feelings of individuals, demonstrated the universality of basic emotions such as love, hate, jealousy, and pride.

Tombstones even preserved one of the most complicated characteristics of human beings, which is a love of humor. Many of the messages were plainly drafted to amuse and entertain the reader, and the fact that some of them can still do so after 2, years is surely one of the most remarkable aspects of this extraordinary body of evidence.

Every source that survived from the ancient world was an exception, while thousands were lost forever. The ones that have survived are somewhat representative of the many others that did not and can offer a window into the lives of their authors. Famous works of literature and philosophy reflected the perspective of elites, there were some types of surviving written records that give insights into the lives of ordinary people too.

Collectively, those sources offered a rare but precious perspective on the lives, hopes, fears, and dreams of the majority of ordinary people who lived in the Roman world.

Tombstones have inscriptions written on them which describe the deep love and emotion for a deceased person. These also demonstrate the universality of basic emotions such as love, hate, jealousy, and pride. Some people used their tombstones to give advice to those passing by or simply to express their beliefs.

Funerary epitaphs provided knowledge about facets of Roman society and proven to be a rich resource. Those conveyed information about the range of professions and the types of employment which were available to ancient Romans. In ancient Rome , there were working women in different professions like doctors, nurses, and teachers. By Gregory Aldrete, Ph.