The Interesting Job of the Professional Mourner
Ah, those Romans. They weren’t big on showy displays of emotion, but of course, when somebody died they had to be properly mourned.
They actually had, for a while, a simple (if costly) solution.
They hired professional mourners.
Professional Mourners in Rome
Because it was really inappropriate for men to show a lot of emotion, all professional mourners were women. Men would also be hired to participate in the funeral procession for a wealthy deceased, but in other capacities, such as playing music or pretending to be their ancestors.
The richer you were, the more professional mourners you hired. These women would make a tremendous show of mourning, tearing at their hair and scratching their faces. The praeficiae, as they were called, would also sing laments. It got so bad that the Emperor eventually made the practice illegal.
We don’t know how well these women were paid, but we do know that they were paid…and no doubt had plenty of work.