Grave (burial)

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Grave with burial vault awaiting coffin

A grave is a place where a dead body (usually a human, although sometimes an animal) is buried. The grave is usually in a graveyard or cemetery.

Graves may contain objects that provide clues for archaeologists about the life and culture of the time.

In some religions, it is believed that the body must be intact for the soul to survive; in others, the complete decomposition of the body is important for the rest of the soul (Jewish burial).

[edit] Parts of a grave

The parts of a grave are usually:

Grave cut. The excavation that formed the grave. This can vary from a shallow scraping, to removal of topsoil to a depth of 6 feet (1.8 meters), or more where a vault or burial chamber is to be constructed.

Excavated spoil. The material dug up when the grave is excavated. 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 spoil 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 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, foot stones, posts to support items, a solid covering or other options.