This contribution analyses the role played by material culture in the imperial funeral of the basileus in 9th and 10th century. The research applies archaeological, anthropological, and historical knowledge to describe the activity of the imperial entourage, which resolves issues concerning representation problems in the funeral, while examining the spectacularization and the communication strategies that shaped the etiquette of the Basileia. The imperial funeral was a collective ceremonial that didn't provide the expulsion of the imperial corpse from society and had the aim to transmit reassuring messages to subordinates, while capitalizing public consensus. The ritual represented an expression of the 'theatre of power' and was structured as a mise en scène concocted for the exclusive benefit of the monarchy, but still addressed to the individual participants who could recognize themselves as parts of the political body of the Basileia. The elaborations of the doctrine of power structures in the apparatus of the basileus' caducity the most refined expression of the material culture of Death. This ritual used a series of sensible signs, such as the insignia of the Basileia and the sepulcher in precious marble, which expressed their significance in the spaces reserved for the funeral ceremonies, such as the Sacred Palace or the imperial mausoleums.