When a king of the Sumerian city state of Ur died he did not go alone to his tomb. His entire household of some 70 people was buried with him, having taken poison in order to follow their sovereign into the next life – where they would continue to serve him loyally as before.
The preparation for this mass burial was meticulous. First along, sloping shaft was dug down to a pit that would serve as the tomb chamber. This was filled with rich offerings, and the king’s corpse was placed in it.
In ancient Mesopotamia mourning were physical expressions of emotion. Mourners were supposed to perform certain acts. One of the mourning acts was weeping. For example, in the Death of Urnamma, the king’s personal god Ninsuna is said to show her grief by weeping.
Furthermore, self-mutilation was another act of mourning for the Mesopotamians, which was probably done in public, this may have happened during the funerary procession.The bereaved emotions of frustration and grief were expressed as aggression enacted upon their own body, which included scratching themselves and tearing their hair out.
Ancient Sumerian culture: Death of King
