About Gravestones
A gravestone is a marker used to delineate the location of a burial site for an individual, family or other group. Gravestones can be very diverse in shape, style and material, depending on the deceased's religion, nationality and time period. Other common names for gravestones include tombstones or headstones.
Other People Are Reading
-
Function
-
The purpose of a gravestone is to mark and commemorate the deceased. Many families choose for multiple generations to be buried together in the same plot of land, and a singular gravestone is used to commemorate them. A single gravestone might stand to also mark a mass grave where individuals cannot be identified.
Types
-
Gravestones are traditionally made out of stone local to that particular area of the world, such as granite, fieldstone, marble, limestone, slate and sandstone. At certain points in English history, iron was also used in the creation of gravestones, though wrought iron rusts quickly, making it an impractical choice. Wood has also been heavily used throughout time. While the particulars in design and style vary by age and culture, some gravestone commonalities include the name or names of the deceased engraved into the stone, along with birth dates, death dates, and a small epitaph.
-
History
-
Gravestones have been utilized in cultures around the world for thousands of years, dating back to the Babylonians and Ancient Greeks. The Ancient Egyptians erected pyramids that served as elaborate and rich gravestones for their pharaohs, while early wealthy Christians similarly built entire memorials as gravestones to commemorate the dead. Westminster Abbey in London boasts a range of gravestones dating back to A.D. 616 that include simple inscriptions, embellished sarcophagi and monumental statues.
Considerations
-
Gravestones are not the only demarcation used to commemorate the dead. For example, footstones, or thin strips of stone engraved with the deceased's name or initials placed at the foot of the grave, are used in England instead of headstones or gravestones. Plaques often replace headstones for those who choose to be cremated.
Theories/Speculation
-
Due to the high cost of gravestone materials, the size, detailing and grandeur of a headstone is also considered a symbol of the deceased's prominence in society as well as his wealth. Paupers' graves are often marked by little more than a piece of wood or simple stone slab, whereas wealthy individuals may have large monuments, memorials or even burial chambers erected to mark their resting place.
-
