Honouring the Dead in the Peloponnese - University of Nottingham

Marioanna Louka
which are not consistent with an austere interpretation of burial customs.
Therefore, one should face the eventuality of having to date the legislation on
the restrictions and prohibitions of luxury of burials at a later date than the
time of Lykourgos, possibly during the ephorate of Chilon. 25
Be that as it may, we could still strongly support the view that the sole
fact of placing jewels as grave offerings in Peloponnesian graves was a
reaction to the frugality and the restrictions imposed by the Lacedaemonian
state: it is also interesting to note that the objective value of jewels,
particularly those in gold, did not persuade the relatives to keep them within
the family, either in order to realise their value at a time of need, or as an
heirloom. It appears that even in a world as precarious as that of the Archaic
period, women who had stayed in the margins during their whole life gained
respect and eternity, the honour and admiration of their family and peers,
precisely through the imperishable materials of these fine works of art
accompanying them to the other world, and through the love and attention of
their creators.
25
Chrestou 1964, 150–152.
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