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The Ancient Greeks strongly believed that their world was ruled and controlled by the Gods/Goddesses. This meant that they were not afraid of death as it was seen as their chosen fate.
The Ancient Greeks would leave trinkets and visit the burial site as a way to send goodwill to the psyche in the afterlife.
Hades was the ruler of the Underworld, and the brother of Zeus. He is often described as a dark God who wanted to keep as many souls as he could in his kingdom.
For those that stay in the underworld, life was unpleasant as it was a desolate and barren place. It was where the dead slowly faded into nothingness.
This meant that the Ancient Greeks prepared the body in a number of different ways in order to ensure the body made it safely to the afterlife. One of the main rituals they performed was to place coins in the body's mouth. This was seen as the toll they would pay the ferryman to cross the river Styx.
As death was not feared in Ancient Greek culture, there were a number of customs that they followed in order for the process to be properly embraced.
The Ancient Greeks believed that the psyche, or spirit of the dead, left the body. This belief meant that they wanted to make sure the burial followed a set of rituals:
There were a number of different passages that would take the dead to Hades, which was encircled by five rivers.
One of the most mentioned rivers is the Styx. This was the boundary between the realm of Earth and the Underworld. The body's psyche would need to be given permission before they cross into neutral territory.
There were three different places the psyche could end up in the afterlife:
1. Tartarus - This was for those who had committed sins against the gods. They would receive eternal torment.
2. Asphodel - This was where most spirits ended up. It was a big space covered in flowers so the dead would live aimlessly.
3. Elysium - This was reserved for the heroes that the gods favoured. They would live in eternal paradise.