In order to cross the river Styx, the deceased need to pay the
ferryman Charon. Only after this are they welcome into the
afterlife. During the burial, the living place coins either in
the mouth or on the eyes of the deceased so that they can pay
this fee. The custom is found archaeologically among Greek,
Roman and a variety of Western European cultures. It is found in
the 5th c. BCE all the way until the early 20th century. It is
also a symbol of protection or a metaphorical food for the
deceased. This rather famous practice is also found in popular
culture such as the placement of the coins in the eyes after
each kill in the Boondock Saints. While this practice is fairly
well known, it isn’t the only magical object found in graves
that is meant to ferry the individual into the afterlife or give
protection. Davidson (2010) discusses the presence of seemingly
mundane objects in 19th to 20th century graves that are not
usually found in this context. Excavations took place at the
First African Baptist Church Ce