Gravestones: a global tradition that originated in the Middle East

By Youssef Kanjou
It is not known exactly when and why people first began to make what is now known as a gravestone: a piece of stone on which a person’s name and date of death are written. In any case, the first known inscriptions on gravestones were written in the Aramaic language of the Near East. This tradition subsequently spread to various cultures and religions. This still applies to modern graves all over the world.
The Aramaic tombstones from the 7th century BC represent the oldest archaeological evidence of this tradition. They seem to have emerged from the development of Aramaic writing and religious rituals for the dead on the one hand and the development of the art of carving volcanic basalt stones on the other. An Aramaic gravestone contained an approximate image of the deceased with an inscription that included the name and life of the deceased as well as religious information and later the date and age of the deceased. This is the case, for example, with the gravestones discovered in Nayrab, east of the city of Aleppo in Syria.
This applies to the gravestone for a priest named Sin-zir-Ibni (priest of the moon god). The Aramaic inscription contains the name of the priest and the name of the city in which he died, namely Nayrab, which still exists today. In addition, the last lines of the inscription contain a threat against anyone who damages or plunders the tomb. It is mentioned that all the gods (according to the inscription, there appear to be four of them that were worshipped at the time) would avenge him: The wrongdoer would be brutally killed and his descendants wiped out. However, if he preserved the tomb, the gods would protect him. This type of threat continued to be used in the centuries that followed.
A second gravestone is for a priest named Sigabbor (priest of the moon god). The inscription also contains a religious statement, namely the name of the god he worshipped and thanks to this god for prolonging his life and granting him a beautiful name. It also mentions the place of death, describes the rituals after his death and mentions that people wept profusely for him after his passing. The inscription also contains the same threat as the first gravestone.
The habit of stealing from and destroying graves was probably already widespread at the time. Grave robbery and destruction were mainly carried out for religious reasons or to steal the often valuable grave goods such as jewelry and expensive tools. This was common practice in many ancient cultures. This is why in some civilizations the dead, especially kings, were buried in secret places, as was the case with the ancient Egyptian civilization. Tombstones were probably originally only used for clergy and royalty and not for the general populace.

Grabstein Sin-zir-Ibni (Priester des Mondgottes). Er wird als Mann mittleren Alters dargestellt, trägt ein traditionelles Gewand und einen Turban und hält etwas in der Hand. Um seinen Kopf herum ist eine 14-zeilige aramäische Inschrift eingraviert. Foto: Ahmad Othman.

In later periods and cultures, tombstones evolved considerably, especially in the Syrian city of Palmyra (first century AD), where Aramaic was also one of the main languages. The tombstone became a kind of personal image for the deceased, depicting an accurate portrait, especially in his youth. Most tombstones were inscribed in unofficial Aramaic, with the name of the deceased and the phrase “O woe!” added. The gravestones in Palmyrene were called “Nefesh”, which means “person” or “soul”, meaning that the gravestone represents the deceased (the body) and his soul. The tombstone also served as a material testimony that reminded the living of the dead. The Palmyrenes believed that the mention of the name and its presence would ease the pain of the deceased. (see more on this under: tun21061503)
For this reason, workshops for the production of (funerary) statues flourished in Palmyra. Family tombs were built in which tombstones were erected for all family members. Each tomb in Palmyra therefore represents a family museum or a gallery of family portraits. This is why many of these tombs have been plundered in the past and present, as they contain valuable statues and finds.
In the Middle Ages, tombstones developed further in Islamic and Christian cultures. In addition to the names of the deceased and religious expressions, artistic features on the gravestones came to the fore and became a common sight. Gravestones became an area for artistic competition and expression of social status, whether through the depiction of statues of the deceased in Christian culture or through the artistic design of Arabic script in Islam.
Gravestones are not only reminders of the deceased, but also imperishable and rich historical documents. They provide a window to the ancient world and reveal the complexity of societies and their interactions with neighbouring cultures and civilizations.
Overall, the basic information that the Arameans wrote on their tombstones has remained in use to this day. Despite the fundamental differences in cultures such as language and religion, this phenomenon and custom is a worldwide cultural tradition. It may have been founded in the Middle East, but it has spread throughout the world, much like all the technological discoveries shared by mankind today. This also shows that cultural exchange and transfer have been widespread since the earliest times.

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Grabstein für den Priester Sigabbor (Priester des Mondgottes). Er wird sitzend dargestellt und nimmt eine Mahlzeit aus einer Schale ein, während ihm gegenüber ein Diener steht, der möglicherweise eine Fliegenklatsche hält, um Fliegen von ihm fernzuhalten! Foto: Ahmad Othman.

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