door of such a _columbārium_ on the outside was cut an inscription giving the names of the owners, the date of erection, and other particulars. [Illustration: FIGURE 204. CINERARY URNS] §430. Burial Societies.--Early in the Empire associations were formed for the purpose of meeting the funeral expenses of their members, whether the remains were to be buried or cremated, or for the purpose of building _columbāria_, or for both. These coöperative associations (_collegia fūnerāticia_) started originally among members of the same guild (§412) or among persons of the same occupation. They called themselves by many names, _cultōrēs_ of this deity or that, _collegia salūtāria_, _collegia iuvenum_, etc., but their objects and methods were practically the same. If the members had provided places for the disposal of their bodies after death they now provided for the necessary funeral expenses by paying into the common fund weekly a small fixed sum, easily within the reach of the poorest of them. When a member died a stated sum was drawn for his funeral from the treasury, a committee saw that the rites were decently performed, and at the proper seasons (§438) the society made corporate offerings to the dead. If the purpose of the society was the building of a _columbārium_, the cost was first determined and the sum total divided into what we should call shares (_sortēs virīlēs_), each member taking as many as he could afford and paying their value into the treasury. Sometimes a benevolent person would contribute toward the expense of the undertaking, and then such a person would be made an honorary member of the society with the title of _patrōnus_ or _patrōna_. The erection of the building was intrusted to a number of _cūrātōrēs_, chosen by ballot, naturally the largest shareholders and most influential men. They let the contracts and superintended the construction, rendering account for all the money expended. The office of the curators was considered very honorable, especially as their names appeared on the inscription without the building, and they often showed their appreciation of the honor done them by providing at their own expense for the decoration of the interior, or by furnishing all or a part of the _titulī_, _ollae_, etc., or by erecting on the surrounding grounds places of shelter and dining-rooms for the use of the members, like those mentioned in §426.