Ossilegium

Ossilegium

(os, "a bone," and legere, "to gather"), the act of collecting the bones of the dead. It was customary among the ancient Greeks, when the funeral pyre was burned down, to quench the dying embers with wine, after which the relatives and friends collected the bones of the deceased. This last practice received the name of the Ossilegium. The bones, when collected, were washed with wine and oil, and deposited in urns, which were made of different materials, sometimes even of gold.