Joanna Ebenstein — The Skeleton at the Feast

A memento mori—Latin for “remember you will die”—

is a practice, object, or artwork created to remind us that we will die,

and that our death could come at any moment.

By evoking a visceral awareness of the brevity of our lives,

it was meant to help us remember to make choices in line with our true values.

This use of memento mori, which seems so counterintuitive today,

is a practice that was found in cultures all around the world

and for many millennia; it even lives on today.

Memento mori were a part of life in ancient Egypt,

where dried skeletons were sometimes paraded into a feast at its height

to remind the revelers of the brevity of life.

They were also frequently encountered in ancient Rome,

where it was common to see skeleton mosaics

on the floors of dining rooms and drinking halls.

And, if you attended a feast,

you might be gifted with a tiny bronze skeleton

called a larva convivialis, or banquet ghost.

In both cases, these memento mori were meant to express

the well-known Latin adage carpe diem—meaning “seize the day”—

reminding viewers to eat, drink, and be merry,

for tomorrow they might be gone.

Joanna Ebenstein

Memento Mori: The Art of Contemplating Death to Live a Better Life

https://www.joannaebenstein.com