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Cenotaph |
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cenotaph(Greek: “empty tomb”) Monument, sometimes in the form of a tomb, to a person buried elsewhere. Ancient Greek writings tell of many cenotaphs, none of which survives. Existing cenotaphs of this type are found in churches (e.g., in Santa Croce, Florence, where there are memorials to Dante, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Galileo). The term is now applied to national war memorials. cenotaph a monument honouring a dead person or persons buried elsewhere cenotaph A monument erected in memory of one not interred in or under it. Cenotaph (Greek kenotaphion, “empty grave”), a funerary monument. Cenotaphs were erected by many peoples—ancient Greeks, Romans, Middle Asians, Egyptians—mostly when the remains of the deceased were for some reason unavailable for interment. The ritual was based on the conviction that the souls of the dead who had no graves could not find peace. In ancient Egypt royal cenotaphs were erected along with the actual tombs of the pharaohs and had ritual significance. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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