The inscriptions on the tombstones became a familiar tribute to the memory of the dead from their families. But it was not always so. In ancient times, tombstones epitaphs gave an explanation of who was buried in the grave and who the dead person was during his lifetime.
The occurrence of epitaph
Although the word "epitaph" has Greek roots ("epi" - over, "tafos" - the grave), the art of carving on the tombstones of the names of the dead was known to the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt, and Babylon, and Ancient Judea.
The sarcophagi found in the tombs of Ancient Egypt carry information about noble people buried in them, starting from the name and ending with their deeds during life. They could also mention what the deceased died of and how, and warned of death to those who would disturb his ashes.
Images and hieroglyphics carved on the stones of the tombs can be attributed to the concept of tombstones, although the first author of the "funeral" genre is considered to be Simonides of Kegos, who immortalized the feat of the Greeks in the war against the Persians, writing an elegy about it. “Wanderer, we once lived in the abundant waters of Corinth. Now Salamin keeps us ...; Here we defeated the Persians ... and saved the lands of Hellas from bondage ... ” Initially, the epitaph is a gravestone delivered on the annual memorial day dedicated to the fallen heroes. During this speech, the exploits of the Greeks who died for the liberation of their homeland were listed.
Subsequently, epitaphs appeared in verses that were pronounced at each burial as a sign of respect for the deceased from his inconsolable relatives.
The development of epitaph as a literary genre
During the Middle Ages in Europe, thanks to Christianity, burial became a kind of cult, during which the soul of the deceased was prepared for the transition from life to death, and the epitaph to the grave began to have a religious or philosophical character.
Many Renaissance poets composed poems in this genre for deceased aristocrats. Then gravestones and crypts appeared with farewell words immortalized on them. The famous tombs of the Medici and Dante, decorated with sculptures of Michelangelo, today amaze with their splendor.
The names of the great commanders and rulers were also marked on the gravestone. For example, on the grave of Tamerlane in Samarkand was the inscription "If I were alive, the whole world would tremble." This short phrase conveys the power and strength of a man who, during his lifetime, defeated the Golden Horde and conquered many countries.
Epitaph in the Russian state
In Russia, the early epitaphs date from the 13th century, when the name of the deceased, his occupation and statement from the Gospel were written on gravestones. Much later, in the 16th century, aristocrats began to order tombs for poets. Thus, epitaph is a new literary genre that has a specific author.
For example, the tombstone on the grave stone of the poet Batyushkov is short and laconic: “I do not need inscriptions for my stone, just say here: it was, and there is none!”
Later, writing epitaphs became a lucrative affair, and they began to be written for both the merchants and the bourgeoisie those who had little idea of ​​literary genres. Some of them have survived to this day, and their content is rather amusing than sad: "He gave birth to him and built it." This inscription was left by the son to his late father.
Modern epitaph
Today, epitaph is a short statement conveying the sadness of relatives about the loss of a loved one. It is written on a gravestone or printed in a newspaper obituary. Often, poems of modern poets or bards, phrases from films, and statements by famous people are taken for this.
As a literary genre, the epitaph almost ceased to exist in the Soviet Union. It was not accepted to leave inscriptions on the graves of members of the Communist Party, except for the surname, name and patronymic.
A return to the epitaph became possible only after religion and the church became accessible again to people. On the gravestones, relatives convey to their surrounding people their sadness and grief at the death of their loved one:
“The century seemed painfully brief
But in memory you are always with us
Beloved, dear to us man.
Our pain cannot be expressed in words "
Epitaphs of mother
Everyone experiences the loss of a loved one and loved one in their own way. One of the manifestations of grief is a gravestone.
When a mother dies, children pay tribute to their love for her, using epitaphs on the monument to their mother. It can be a poem, a prayer or a short saying: “We come to put a bouquet for you. It’s very difficult for us, dear, to live without us. ”
Using epitaphs, people convey to the world how great their sadness is due to the loss of their loved ones. The return of this genre allows them to share their grief with other people. A person who passes through the cemetery can estimate the amount of grief and sadness that children leave in the form of an epitaph at the monument to their mother. Compassion for another's grief helps people come to terms with their loss.
Epitaph to her husband
The loss of the breadwinner and the father is also tragic, therefore, it is increasingly possible to meet epitaphs on the graves of deceased men from the wife. They are full of sadness and sorrow, as women who have lost loving husbands are acutely experiencing the loss:
“Wipe the tear and bow your head.
Here lies a loving spouse.
He completed his earthly days -
Good father and true friend. "
Short phrases on a gravestone dedicated to a deceased husband can convey the depth of female grief as much as verses: "I love you, I am proud of you, you are always alive in my memory."
If a man died in old age, then in the epitaph you can see a mention of him as a father and grandfather: “Accept from us the last gift of the earth, beloved husband, good father and dear grandfather.”
Epitaph as an epigram
Although the death of a loved one is a great tragedy, many people treat him or his demise with a share of humor and skepticism. There are cases when the epitaph was used as an advertisement or instead of a dating service: “Here lies Esther Wright, whom God called to himself. Her inconsolable husband Thomas Wright, America’s best stone mason, made this inscription with his own hands and is ready to do the same for you for $ 250. " The regret of others about the loss may have a peculiar implication in which “envy” of the deceased creeps in: “She lived in the world for 82 years, 6 months, 4 days without a break.”
In different countries you can meet epitaphs either with humor or with a hint. For example, the Mexicans display black humor in this way: “Here lies Pankratio Huvenalis. He was an exemplary husband, a good father, and a bad electrician. ”
Lucrezia Borgia, known at the time, who was the daughter of Pope Alexander 6, had an intimate relationship with her father and brother, for which she was immortalized in the epitaph “Here lies Lucretia Borgia - daughter, wife and daughter-in-law of Alexander 6, dad.”
The epitaphs of great people
Not all celebrities get decent epitaphs, although there are those who composed them for themselves, writing expressions that later became winged.
For example, the following phrase is written on the grave of Winston Churchill: “I am ready to meet with the Creator. But whether the Creator had time to prepare for a meeting with me is another question. ”
The famous scientist Ampere ordered the inscription "finally happy" on his grave. That's how he appreciated his life and death.
Reading statements on other people's graves, people seem to partake in the life and death of someone close to them, so the epitaph is a kind of message from the world of the living to the world of the dead. People are left with sadness, compassion and memorable phrases.