How Did 6 Feet Become the Standard Grave Depth? In some cases, the remains of multiple individuals may be found in a single grave, and great care must be taken to ensure that all individuals are properly identified and accounted for. Ammer, Christine. Welcome to allaboutgrave.com. You cannot stop her from placing flowers on a grave site. Burying the dead six feet under is an important part of many cultures and religions, and it will likely remain so for years to come. This is a classic example of asking the question, being told an answer that seemed reasonable and not worrying about it again. We all know how annoying it is to have relatives arrive unannounced. Recap The 6-foot rule might have just been a way to protect bodies. If you bury four or more people, the depth and width should be ten feet and six feet, respectively. If bodies are buried too deep, they may not decompose as quickly. The ancient Egyptians and the ancient Mesopotamians were probably the first to use the deep-grave method to bury the dead. We'll help you get your affairs in order and make sure nothing is left out. What You Need To know, How To Connect RGB Fans To Motherboard: A Step-By-Step Guide, How Long Does A Portable Charger Take To Charge? However, its been proven that the plague couldnt spread from corpses to the living, so this theory has been thrown out. The Reason Why The Dead Are Buried Six Feet Below The Ground. In order to achieve the best burial and decomposition results, 6 feet is the preferred depth for most cemeteries. All rights reserved. Rules and regulations governing cemeteries determine the depth and width of graves. But really, how deep should the dead be buried? The six feet under rule for burial may have come from a plague in London in 1665. This theory is based on logic, but there is no specific reason why one would choose to bury remains exactly six feet deep. The freezing of the soil around a coffin would eventually push the casket back to the surface. Usage of any form or other service on our website is This was because they believed that this amount of soil was sufficient to prevent animals from digging up corpses thus prevent spreading the plague. The bottom line is that grave depths vary. In fact, some areas allow graves to be as shallow as two feet from the surfacewhereas other communities encourage graves to be a whopping 12 feet deep (to allow room for the burial of relatives). In this case, the lease on the plot may be 20 years old, so the landlord may be able to extend it after that. This link will open in a new window. If you like what you read on here, then please support the website here. Facebook. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Even those with four or six lines are still short. If your loved one is buried in a grave that is too deep, you may be able to extend the burial area by adding more earth to the top. It is a good idea to bury the bodies at a depth of six feet. From 1346 to 1353, the Plague killed an estimated 75 million people, with the majority of deaths occurring in Europe. Do they have to follow the letter of the particular dimensions? Does Absinthe Actually Make You Hallucinate? Why do they bury bodies facing east? Deep burial promotes the ideal of eternal rest, with the deceased being physically separated from the living for all eternity. According to a study published in the Journal of Animal Science, dogs can detect smells as deep as six feet. This is a question that has been asked for centuries, and the answer is still the same. This limitation can be beneficial. And the key sentence that all the graves shall be at least six feet deep. Some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, shroud their dead in shrouds to eliminate shoes as a burial accessory. For some, it is a way to ensure that their bodies are not disturbed after death. Modern American burial laws vary from state to state, though many states simply require a minimum of 18 inches of soil on top of the casket or burial vault (or two feet of soil if the body is not enclosed in anything). To Prevent the Spread of Disease As mentioned earlier, London officials and medical practitioners in 1665 mistakenly thought that deceased plague victims spread the disease (among many other erroneous explanations), and that burying these bodies 6 feet under would help slow/stop the spread of the disease. In conclusion, there are many reasons why people may have started to bury their dead six feet under. Here are some examples of headstone inscriptions for both parents: Burial plot in a private cemetery: the average cost of a single burial plot is between $2,000 and $5,000, depending on where the cemetery is located, the cemetery facilities, and whether the plot is located in a more desirable part of the cemetery. Some idiom dictionaries say that the phrase wasnt used as an idiom to mean dead until the mid-1920s. are not protected by an attorney-client privilege and are instead governed by our Privacy Policy. Why do they bury bodies 6 feet under? A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing. Some varieties of ajuga, flowering thyme or even sedum will make colorful seasonal flower cover for the grave. According to the method, grave depth is defined as six feet. . The six feet under rule for burial may have come from a plague in London in 1665. To Prevent the Spread of Disease As mentioned earlier, London officials and medical practitioners in 1665 mistakenly thought that deceased plague victims spread the disease (among many other erroneous explanations), and that burying these bodies "6 feet under" would help slow/stop the spread of the disease. People are still buried without shoes in some places around the world to prevent their feet from becoming dirty and to protect them from becoming ill. This link will open in a new window. Juliet, in the final scene of Shallow Grave, betrays Alex in full. Another reason why people are buried 6 feet under is simply that this is how deep a spade can go before hitting the ground that is too hard to dig. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. As such, in some regions, even as deep as twelve feet isnt unheard of. Why Are Graves 6 Feet Deep & What Are The Reasons Behind It? Of course, as with most things in life, there are exceptions to even this loose guideline and its technically possible to bury a person in an even shallower grave in some rare circumstances.
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