The ancient Greeks attached great significance to the burial ceremonies and monuments(μν?μα) from their early history, as is observed in the epic works of Homeros and Hesiodos. They considered mortality as the fundamental limitation of humans distinguished from the immoral gods, and in Greek society the burial practices were not only the religious duty but also moral and legal obligations of the relatives. As the structure of Athenian society became more sophisticated with the development of democracy, the burial practices and grave markers became the main devices of social propaganda of the individuals and families. The form and subject of the funerary monuments of Archaic and Classical Athens should be interpreted in the social and political context.
The Kerameikos cemetery outside the city of Athens reveals us the role and function of the tombs and their artistic programme; situated near the Dipylon gate of the city walls, the cemetery was highly visible to all the passengers and relatives who visited the graves. During the Classical period, graves of private individuals were grouped in family precincts and walled with masonry terraces and monumental stele in which the deceased were represented in relationship with other family members. It is probable that such an emphasis on the household was influenced by the decree of Pericles in 451 BC that ‘only those should he reckoned Athenians whose parents on both sides were Athenians’. As a result, mother’s extraction and the background of the family (ο?κο?) became an integral element of an individual’s social status and citizenship. The rather drastic change of imagery and the increasing numbers of the female figures in the stele of the Classical Athens reflects the political ideology of that period.
The development of iconography and the representational style through Archaic and Classical period is also closely related to the contemporary social context. The generalized male figures of the ideal youths(?φηβο?) as the ‘athl ete’ type, and the more mature males of the ‘warrior’ type in Archaic funerary monuments were to visualize distinguished members of the state(π?λι?), follo wing the old tradition of the cult of the dead. On the other hand, during the Classical period the age categories of male and female figures became more defined and the features were more personalized, providing the needed infor mation of their relationship in the household. The subject of handshake(δεξ? ωσι?) which was often found in the Attic grave reliefs also indicated the legisl ative ties between the family members. Overall, the funerary monuments of th e ancient Athens were the social and political statements for the living audien ce, illustrating the set of values and ideologies that dominated the aristocratic society.