Burial Customs

Burial Customs 

customs associated with the disposition of the dead and with the expression of attitudes toward the deceased and toward death.

Man buried the dead in pits and caves as early as the middle Paleolithic. This was a well-known form of care for the dead associated with the beginnings of religious concepts. In time, belief in a life beyond the grave gave rise in primitive society to a dualistic attitude toward the dead person. On the one hand, solicitousness for the deceased was shown by adorning and dressing him in special garments and leaving him food, tools, weapons, and sometimes even means of transport, such as a sled or boat. On the other hand, fear of the deceased was shown by attempts to render him harmless and prevent his return. For example, the body was sometimes bound in a flexed position or removed from the house through a special opening.

In addition to interment, which is the most widespread form of burial, cremation has been known since the Bronze Age. After burning the corpse, European peoples buried the ashes in the ground, while certain Middle Asian peoples placed the ashes in miniature coffins called ossuaries, which in turn were placed in special rooms called naus. The Hindus still burn their dead on pyres and throw the ashes into the water. Some peoples—those of Oceania, for example—placed the deceased in a boat, which was then set afloat. The Australians, North American Indians, and some Siberian peoples left the corpse outdoors—in trees or on platforms. To this day the Parsi leave the dead in special towers, to be eaten by birds.

With the decline of the primitive clan system, burial customs became sharply differentiated. A complex ritual was developed for tribal leaders, princes, and shamans and later for priests and kings. Ancestor worship developed into the veneration of dead kings and high priests. Belief that the soul would continue to exist as long as the body was preserved led to customs of preserving the body, such as mummification among the ancient Egyptians and Incas, and of creating portraitures of the deceased, such as burial masks and statues at the gravesite. In honor of the dead, artificial mounds (barrows) were raised over the graves, pyramids were erected, and funerary temples and chapels were built. Sacrifices were brought to the dead ruler to appease his soul: slaves and wives were killed and cattle and horses were slaughtered, for example, among the Scythians and ancient Slavs. Repasts and games were held at the grave. Among modern peoples, both interment and cremation are practiced.

A. L. MONGAIT