Ancient Greek Funeral Practices

The story of Antigone starts with a funeral. Or lack of a funeral. And because the Greeks were so tethered to the consistency of ceremonies and celebrations, when Creon denies a burial for Polynieces the conflict arises. So why was it so important for Antigone to throw dirt on her brother? What did it do for his soul? By the 6th Century BCE ideas of the afterlife and proper procedure for burial had already been established. The idea of Hades and Persephone ruling an underworld filled with "shades" of souls had been shared through "the Odyssey" by Homer. Like how the Catholic church takes responsibility to pray it's relatives into Heaven, the women of Ancient Greek families were responsible for the passage of the deceased soul.

"Relatives of the deceased conducted the elaborate burial rituals that were customarily of three parts: the prothesis (laying out of the body), the ekphora (funeral procession), and the interment of the body or cremated remains of the deceased."

Source: Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The actual burial of the corpse was not the most important aspect of a funeral (most bodies were entombed anyway). But it was important for Antigone to do something, ANYTHING, to aid in the flight of her brother's soul.





Sources:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm
http://www.morbidoutlook.com/nonfiction/articles/2002_11_greekfuneral.html