Heller also points out about the presence of neniae (plural) even in the funeral rites of Imperials from the time of Augustus. The presence of neniae in Imperial funeral procession signifies the popularity of nenia, in addition, it shows the popularity it would have created. Heller suggests that nenia in singular, from the early Empire times, meant ‘carmen funebre’. Then the confusion in the later period is because of the meaning of the plural word had taken along the time. Therefore, for Heller, nenia is a funeral song sung primarily by praefica and company.

2. Praefica

Lucilius (180-103 BCE) points out that “the praeficae [are the ones] who for a price weep at the funeral of another greatly tear their hair and cry out more (than others).” …show more content…
However, Habinek points out that there is a possibility in Conducta 145 that preafica is hired only when a family lacks a person who could perform Neniae. Habinek also raises the doubt whether this hiring of the praeficae was practiced after the classical period. Habinek also points out that the term praeficae is from prae and facio which means “the one who sets up in front of (others) …the one who sets out patterns for imitation.” If so, then the professional praefica was the one who sets the pattern for the others to imitate and sing the lament or the mourning song. Dutsch says, “The duty of the praeficae was not to feel genuine grief but to enact it.” Further, Heller says people or other mourners (even the other hired ones) would have “followed [the praefica] in rhythmic movements expressive of grief. The performance, however, could hardly have been silent; cries of sorrow must have been uttered; probably it was also the function of the praefica to interpret these gestures and cries in more easily intelligible speech, in a song or chant, as was certainly true later on.” Habinek also suggests that one of the main reasons for praising is “to establish a pattern for imitation or surrogation, to validate the authority of the