Similarities

I always seem to come back to comparing modern religions that we study with that of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the reading about The Hakluyt Society, I again noticed many similarities between the religious and cultural aspects of life for the different Ethiopian cultures, particularly in their marriage and burial rites. In cases of adultery, the offending party, whether it be the man or woman, need only to compensate the other with animals or goods because the man and woman both provide for themselves independently. This is similar to the practice in Roman culture of manus which refers to how women pass down their wealth from their fathers when they are married. In ancient Rome, women also were allowed to own their own property and to manage their own funds. Even though this was only allowed with the guidance of the woman's father or male guardian, it meant that the property and wealth the woman held was not tied to her husband.

Another similarity between classical cultures and the Abyssinians is how they mourn their dead. The Abyssinians literally lament their dead, much like the Greeks did, women in particular. The Gafates, another Ethiopian culture, "give themselves very large wounds in the head and arms" and "scratch their faces". This is very similar to how Greek women mourn for the dead by scratching at their faces and pulling out their hair.

This is a Geometric krater from the Dipylon cemetery near Athens from 740 BC. It shows Greek women surrounding the dead man, mourning by pulling their hair with their hands.