when a person died at home, family members and intimate friends gathered around the death bed. in accordance with a belief that equated the soul with the breath, the closest relative gave the last goodbye to the passing of spirit from the body with a last kiss, and closed the eyes. the relatives began lamentations, calling on the deceased by name. the body was then placed on the ground, washed, and anointed. this practice mirrored the placement of new-born infants on the bare earth. mourners were expected to dress in a manner appropriate to the occasion and to their station (for example, an upper class citizen would wear a dark-colored toga ("toga pulla"), reserved for funerals). if the deceased was a male citizen, he was dressed in his toga; if he had earned a wreath in life, he wore one in death. wreaths also are found in burials of initiates into mystery religions. after the body was prepared, it lay in state in the atrium of the family home ('), with the feet pointed toward the door. other circumstances pertained to those who lived, as most romans did, in apartment buildings ('), but elite practices are better documented.