Article
Why did we start Burying Our Deceased?
When a loved one dies, the obvious thing is to bury them. Humans have been burying the dead since ancient times. However, it is uncertain when this practice begun.
The oldest known burial is thought to have taken place 130,000 years ago. Archeological evidence shows that Neanderthals practiced the burying of the dead. The dead during this era were buried along with tools and bones. It is thought that the practice begun as a religious ritual that may have resulted from the concern over what happens to people after death.
Burying of the dead has been practiced by various religions around the world for thousands of years. Most of these religions believe that the human body is composed of five elements namely, earth, water, fire, air and sky. However, there are some religions and cultures that prefer to cremate the dead body rather than bury it.
The most popular belief however is that people buried bodies because dead bodies decay. People saw that the best way to deal with the smell of the decaying body was to bury the body. It was easy to dig a hole in the ground and bury the body to prevent the smell from disturbing the community. This is evidenced from the fact that people bury carcasses of animals in the same way.
Burying the dead has been adopted by people of different cultures and religious beliefs around the world today. It has also been adopted by governments. There are regulations that govern the practice. Many people find it the natural course of action to take when they are faced with the death of a loved one.
Samantha Milano 7/15/18