The Rites of Mourning in Archaic and Classical Greece and in Pre-Qin China

Abstract

This article attempts to compare the mourning of the dead before burial in Archaic and Classical Greece with that in Pre-Qin China. It focuses on three main subjects of mourning before burial—lamentation, mourners’ gestures and behaviors, and mourning apparel—to demonstrate the cultural function and social influence of the mourning rituals through the analysis of the function and purpose of the mourning of two ancient peoples. We find that there are some differences in these two ancient societies, although the rites of mourning share some basic and similar procedures and functions.