This weekend I went to the medieval studies' workshop on gold. While some archaeological examples were presented in the workshop, it mostly discussed gold in a literary context. Interestingly, most of the discussed sources portrayed gold as a corrupting agent with no material value. They seemed to suggest that those whom are able to reject material wealth will in turn have a higher status with God.
In particular, the medieval (Christian) renditions of Alexander the Great's conquests attribute the lust for gold as one of the primary reasons his empire fell apart after his death. They emphasize the uselessness of gold, with one tale having Alexander being served a meal of gold by a group of Amazons. Another told of Alexander's elaborate burial, and how being buried with so much gold did little to preserve his Empire.
So, while we generally perceive those whom are buried with the greatest value and quantity of grave goods to be of the highest status in a society, we should be careful not to dismiss those which have little, for the rejection of material wealth could certainly be its own form of status.
In particular, the medieval (Christian) renditions of Alexander the Great's conquests attribute the lust for gold as one of the primary reasons his empire fell apart after his death. They emphasize the uselessness of gold, with one tale having Alexander being served a meal of gold by a group of Amazons. Another told of Alexander's elaborate burial, and how being buried with so much gold did little to preserve his Empire.
So, while we generally perceive those whom are buried with the greatest value and quantity of grave goods to be of the highest status in a society, we should be careful not to dismiss those which have little, for the rejection of material wealth could certainly be its own form of status.
That's a really interesting idea! It reminded me that in the Imperial period of the Roman empire there was a desire to return to the pure Republican era that was uncorrupted by luxury.
ReplyDeleteIndividuals used a list of life achievements posted outside their tomb as a major grave good. For example, the Mausoleum of Augustus had his list of achievements (the Res Gestae) posted outside. For the Romans, the art and architecture of the tomb in combination with inscriptions were the ultimate show of status. Personal grave goods with the cremated remains were not used as far as I know.