Ceremonies for the dead have been around for centuries and vary greatly in every culture as well as religion. In present America, it is customary to praise the dead in obituaries and have funeral precessions from the church to the cemetery regardless of the religion. The praise given to a deceased person is usually determined by the life he or she lived. In the Ancient Greek culture, a similar procedure was followed after a death. "According to a Homeric belief, when a person died, his or her vital breath or psyche left the body to enter the palace of Hades, king of the dead" (Religion and Death - Greek View of Death). In Homer's Iliad, Hector's death is both praised and disrespected by the people of Troy.
             A funeral is a declaration of a death of a person (Funerals 1). Today, no matter the life lived of the deceased, a certain amount of respect is given to them. An obituary is a written description and praise that is placed in newspapers so even those who were not touched by this person may have a chance to learn about the individual's life. It is also used to remind those who knew the person about his/her life. In ancient Greece, the praises of one's life were not written on paper, but drawn out on marble tablets placed next to vases that were used as head stones. This amount of respect however, was not always given. In Homer's Iliad, Hector had many friends and family, but died at the hands of the enemy. His death was both praised and disrespected by people. Many of Achilles' followers (the Greeks), believed they could gain their pride back by stabbing Hector as he lay dead on the ground.
             And not a man came forward who did not stab his body, glancing toward a comrade, laughing, 'Ah, look here – how much softer he is to handle now, this Hector, than when he gutted our ships with roaring fire!' (Textbook.196.XXII.438-441)
             This treatment was meant to regain a...