Grave
Burial location of a dead body
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries.
In some religions, it is believed that the body must be burned or cremated for the soul to survive; in others, the complete decomposition of the body is considered to be important for the rest of the soul (see bereavement).
01Description
The formal use of a grave involves several steps with associated terminology.
- Grave cut
The excavation that forms the grave. Excavations vary from a shallow scraping to removal of topsoil to a depth of 6 feet (1.8 m) or more where a vault or burial chamber is to be constructed. However, most modern graves in the United States are only 4 feet (1.2 m) deep as the casket is placed into a concrete box (see burial vault) to prevent a sinkhole, to ensure the grave is strong enough to be driven over, and to prevent floating in the instance of a flood.
- Excavated soil
The material dug up when the grave is excavated. It is often piled up close to the grave for backfilling and then returned to the grave to cover it. As soil decompresses when excavated and space is occupied by the burial not all the volume of soil fits back in the hole, so often evidence is found of remaining soil. In cemeteries, this may end up as a thick layer of soil overlying the original ground surface.
- Burial or interment
The body may be placed in a coffin or other container, in a wide range of positions, by itself or in a multiple burial, with or without personal possessions of the deceased.
- Burial vault
A burial vault is a structure built within the grave to receive the body. It may be used to prevent crushing of the remains, allow for multiple burials such as a family vault, retrieval of remains for transfer to an ossuary, or because it forms a monument.
- Grave backfill
The soil returned to the grave cut following burial. This material may contain artifacts derived from the original excavation and prior site use, deliberately placed goods or artifacts, or later material. The fill may be left level with the ground or mounded.
- Monument or marker
Headstones are best known, but they can be supplemented by decorative edging, footstones, posts to support items, a solid covering or other options.
02Graveyards and cemeteries
Graveyards were usually established at the same time as the building of the relevant place of worship (which can date back to the 8th to 14th centuries) and were often used by those families who could not afford to be buried inside or beneath the place of worship itself.
Later, graveyards have been replaced by cemeteries.
03In language
- Turn in one's grave is an idiom to describe an extreme level of shock or an intense level of surprise and is expressed as the vicarious sentiment of a deceased person.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Grave”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Tumba Panteón Español 1.jpg by Cinemexicano955, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 012 Freshly dug grave in a cemetery in Poland.jpg by Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo portfolio, CC BY 3.0
- Karin Månsdottir's grave.jpg by Markus Koljonen (Dilaudid), CC BY-SA 3.0
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