A grave is a location where a dead body 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.
Grave with burial vault awaiting coffin
The Steinbeck family graves in the Hamilton plot at the Salinas cemetery in California, United States
Grave with a cross with nails in Evros, Greece
Grave of Catherine Månsdotter, the queen of Sweden, at the Turku Cathedral in Turku, Finland
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objects in it, and covering it over. A funeral is a ceremony that accompanies the final disposition. Evidence suggests that some archaic and early modern humans buried their dead. Burial is often seen as indicating respect for the dead. It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.
Unearthed grave from the medieval Poulton Chapel
Reconstruction of the Mesolithic tomb of two women from Téviec, Brittany
A naturally mummified body in the British Museum
A Muslim cemetery in Sahara, with all graves placed at right angles to distant Mecca
