[expand]
The death of the king was both personal loss and political event requiring careful management. The funeral ceremonies honored the deceased while establishing foundation for successor’s legitimacy. The burial might occur in elaborate tomb that would become pilgrimage site, or in cave sanctuary that maintained connection between the dead king and sacred underground realm.
The royal tomb goods demonstrated the king’s status through quantity and quality of offerings. The gold and silver vessels, the weapons and armor, the personal items that accompanied the king into death—all testified to the respect accorded to royal authority and to the belief that the king would continue existence in underground realm where such possessions might be useful or at least appropriate to status.
The mourning period was extended, the grief expressed through formal lamentation, through restrictions on normal activities, through sacrifices and offerings that honored the deceased. The prolonged mourning reinforced the king’s importance while allowing time for succession arrangements to be finalized before normal governance resumed.
The deification or hero-cult that sometimes followed royal death elevated the deceased king to status where he could continue influencing events through spiritual presence. The offerings at tomb sites, the petitions for guidance or assistance, the belief that the dead king maintained interest in the people he had ruled—all created continuity that bridged the disruption of succession.
[/expand]