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A variety of nooks along the walls had different purposes. Some were reserved for children, whose bodies were usually cremated. The ashes were then poured into clay jars called amphorae that were tucked into wall niches. Other smaller divots held oil lamps so that families could see well enough to perform last rites. Still other holes acted as “feeding tubes” for the dead. During the “Last Supper” with their loved one, the family would mix together leftover crumbs and wine from the meal and pour it into the hole as a libation/offering to the deceased. Hey, they might get hungry and thirsty on their journey to the Afterlife.

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