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Actually, they would put a coin in or on a dead person's mouth,

to allow them to pay the ferryman Charon to take them across the river Styx

to Hades.

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14y ago
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13y ago

The ancient Greeks put coins on the eyes of dead people in order for them to be able to pay Charon, the ferryman, to take them across the River Styx.

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12y ago

I believe it goes back to a tradition that so they can cross the river Styx in the afterlife, but they'd have to pay a ferryman to cross.

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11y ago

because they are stupid

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Q: Why did Greeks put a coin under the tongues of the dead?
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Related questions

What is the toll for enetering the underworld?

I don't know, but I know that you have to have a coin to get in. That's why the ancient Greeks buried their dead with coins under their tongues.


What did the ancient Greeks put under the tongues of their dead?

Athenians placed obolus/obol (a small silver coin) under the tongue of a deceased person, to pay the ferryman Charon for the trip across the Styx.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A coin to pay the ferryman to row them across the river to the land of the dead.


What was the coin called that Ancient Greeks placed under a dead person's tongue so they could pay to get into the Underworld?

The coin is called an obol


Do dogs stick their tongues out before they die?

Dogs tongues are not black when the are dead.


Did ancient Greeks store money in their mouthes?

Only when they were dead. When someone died, someone else put a coin under their tongue, so when their soul was led down into the Underworld, they could pay the fee to get in. If they didn't have the money, they had to wait at the enterance forever.


Why people put a coin on forehead of a dead body?

This burial practice is most often associated with the ancient Greeks and is a sign of respect and love shown to the recently deceased. The practice is based upon the belief that when a person dies their soul will have to travel to the underwold via a ferry ride down the river Styx (the river of the dead). The coin was placed under the tongue to serve as fair to pay the ferryman, often named Charon, for the trip. Some legends dictated that if the coin was not placed under the tongue the recently dead's soul would have no means of paying for the boat ride and would therefore be trapped on the banks of the river Styx for all eternity, possibly coming back to haunt the living relatives that failed to provide them a coin for passage.


How did the Greeks bury there dead?

In: the position in which they died.


Do left for dead smokers shoot their tongue?

Yes, Left 4 Dead "Smoker" special Infected do shoot their long tongues at players.


Where did ancient Greeks bury their dead?

in your back yard


Why are cats tongues just like sandpaper?

Cats' tongues are bristly and sandpapery because they use their tongues to clean and groom their fur. The rough surface brushes the fur, sort of like a hairbrush, and helps remove the loose, dead hairs.


What are smokers in left 4 dead?

Smokers are disgusting things with tongues who throw mucus and pull you into traps.


Why was hades important to the Greeks?

He is the God of the dead and Lord of the Underworld.