... Food provisions for the dead were still common in Hellenistic times. According to Sirach 7:33, providing food for the dead was a holy duty: "Give graciously to the living and do not withhold kindness from the dead" (χάρις δόματος ἔναντι παντὸς ζῶντος καὶ ἐπὶ νεκρῷ μὴ ἀποκωλύσῃς χάριν). In Tobit’s instructions to his son, Tobit 4:17 mentions placing a gift of bread on the tomb of the righteous (ἔκχεον τοὺς ἄρτους σου ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον τῶν δικαίων) as one of the duties of the living for the dead. Thus, in the realm of family religion, care for the dead was — even in Hellenistic times — an orthodox practice in the true sense of the word. Notably, the text states that the gift for the deceased was placed on the tomb proper, which appears to indicate a regularly performed rite of giving portions to the dead at burial sites ...