Funeral insurance – not a recent innovation

The idea of paying for your funeral before your die is not a ‘novel’ idea confined to AM morning television.

In the years of the Roman Republic, funeral clubs known as ‘collegia’ were formed. Members paid a regular monthly contribution which would then pay out a sum of money on the members demise.

This payment would cover the cost of those who prepared the body (pollinctores), those who carried the coffins or corpses (vespillones), grave diggers if inhumation took place (fossores) or cremators (ustores).

There were also flautists (tibicines), horn-players (tubicines), mimes, dancers and dirge-singers (prafeficae). Mourners were also hired for several reasons. Firstly, a large number of mourners was identified with one’s popularity during their lifetime, a lengthy procession and well attended funeral was symbolic of worldly success and public respect. Secondly, it was not considered appropriate for public displays of emotion, particularly for the elite or well-to-do. Women were hired for the purpose of performing symbolic gestures of grief such as pulling their hair and beating their breast accompanied by wailing.

While there was a practical and economical purpose to the funeral club, there was also a social aspect – regular meetings took place providing a venue for comradeship as well as creating internal club hierarchies. Some slaves were known to be members which suggests that they had sufficient disposable income to pay for membership.

Membership to the funeral club even covered the possibility should a member die elsewhere other than town. In this case payment would be made to bring the body home, or if no body was available a funeral would still be held using an image of the deceased!

Below: Relief 1st century BCE found in the ancient Italian town of Amiternum depicting funeral possession with body on a bier, surrounded by family preceded by musicians.

(Image: utexas.edu)