Tomb

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File:Tomb of Itmaduddaulah.jpg
The Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah in Agra, India

A tomb (from Template:Langx tumbos, meaning "mound" or "burial monument") is a repository for the remains of the dead. It may be above or below ground and can vary greatly in form, size, and cultural significance. Tombs are one of the oldest forms of funerary monuments, serving both as a means of final disposition and as expressions of religious belief, commemoration, and social status.<ref name="RenfrewBahn" />

Placing a body in a tomb can be called entombment, distinct from simpler burial practices. Tombs often involve architectural or artistic design and can become significant cultural or religious landmarks.<ref name="ArièsDeath" />

Types of tombs

The term "tomb" encompasses a wide variety of structures and traditions, ranging from prehistoric burial mounds to elaborate monumental mausoleums.

Prehistoric and ancient tombs

File:Urn Tomb, Petra 01.jpg
The Urn Tomb at Petra, Jordan

Many early societies constructed tombs using earth, stone, and timber, often imbued with religious or ritual significance.

  • Tumulus (plural: tumuli): A mound of earth and stones raised over one or more graves. Known also as barrows, burial mounds, or kurgans, these can be found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.<ref name="RenfrewBahn" />
  • Megalithic tomb: Constructed of large stones (megaliths) and originally covered by earth; includes dolmens and chamber tombs.<ref name="RenfrewBahn" />
  • Rock-cut tomb: Carved directly into solid rock, varying from simple caves to elaborate façades. Found in ancient Egypt, Lycia, and the city of Petra in Jordan.<ref name="LloydEgypt" /><ref name="ArnoldEgyptianTombs" />
  • Pyramid: Monumental tombs or ceremonial structures, especially in Ancient Egypt and Mesoamerica. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest pyramid in the world by volume.<ref name="HawassPyramids" /><ref name="BudgeBookDead" />
  • Ship burial: A practice of placing the deceased in a ship along with grave goods, common among Vikings and Germanic peoples (e.g., the Oseberg Ship burial).<ref name="RenfrewBahn" />
  • Grave field: Large prehistoric cemeteries with multiple tombs, found in many early cultures.

Architectural tombs and monuments

File:Mausoleum at Halicarnassus at the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.jpg
Reconstruction model of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Freestanding and often monumental tombs became important markers of dynastic, royal, or religious power.

  • Mausoleum: External free-standing structures serving as both monuments and interment spaces. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.<ref name="CurlMausolea" />
  • Sarcophagus: A stone container for a body or coffin, often decorated with reliefs and inscriptions. Sarcophagi were prominent in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium.<ref name="BoardmanGreek" /><ref name="ToynbeeRoman" />
  • Pillar tomb: A monumental grave marked by a pillar or column, common in parts of Africa and Arabia.<ref name="RenfrewBahn" />
  • Martyrium: A Christian building marking the site of a martyr’s tomb, often circular or polygonal, such as San Pietro in Montorio.<ref name="Brown1981" />
  • Stećak: A monumental medieval tombstone richly decorated with reliefs, found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia.<ref name="BešlagićStećci" />

Tombs within religious contexts

File:Kripta spomen Hram svetog Save 1.JPG
Crypt of the Church of Saint Sava, Belgrade

Many religious traditions incorporate tombs into sacred buildings or cemeteries.

  • Burial vault: An underground stone or brick-lined chamber, often family-owned, located in cemeteries or beneath churches.<ref name="ToynbeeRoman" />
  • Crypt: An underground chamber beneath a church, often used for bishops, saints, or patrons.<ref name="ElsnerArtDeath" />
  • Church monument: An effigy-bearing monument within a church, commemorating nobles or clergy.<ref name="ToynbeeRoman" />
  • Charnel house: A building for storing skeletal remains, common in medieval Europe.<ref name="ArièsDeath" />
  • Shrine: A structure above the first burial place of a saint, distinct from a reliquary.<ref name="Brown1981" />
  • Sepulchre: A cavernous rock-cut tomb, particularly in Jewish and Christian traditions (e.g., the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem).<ref name="Brown1981" />
  • Ohel: A structure around the grave of a Hasidic leader.
  • Islamic tombs: Mausoleums or shrines called Mazar, Türbe, Qubba, Dargah, or Gongbei, often places of pilgrimage.<ref name="FloodIslamicShrines" /><ref name="GrabarIslamicArchitecture" />
  • Samadhi: In India, a tomb-shrine for saints, combining funerary and devotional elements.<ref name="RenfrewBahn" />

Symbolism and cultural significance

Tombs embody the beliefs, values, and aesthetics of the societies that created them. They may symbolize:

  • continuity of life after death,<ref name="SilvermanEgyptianAfterlife" />
  • political power and dynastic legitimacy,<ref name="CurlMausolea" />
  • artistic expression through sculpture, painting, and architecture,<ref name="BoardmanGreek" />
  • pilgrimage and veneration, especially in religious contexts.<ref name="Brown1981" /><ref name="ElsnerArtDeath" />

Notable examples

Some of the most famous tombs worldwide include:

See also

References

<references> <ref name="RenfrewBahn">Renfrew, Colin; Bahn, Paul (2012). Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0500292105.</ref> <ref name="Brown1981">Brown, Peter (1981). The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226076225.</ref> <ref name="LloydEgypt">Lloyd, Alan B. (2010). A Companion to Ancient Egypt. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1405155984.</ref> <ref name="ArnoldEgyptianTombs">Arnold, Dieter (1991). Building in Egypt: Pharaonic Stone Masonry. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195063509.</ref> <ref name="BoardmanGreek">Boardman, John (1995). Greek Sculpture: The Classical Period. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0500201985.</ref> <ref name="ToynbeeRoman">Toynbee, Jocelyn M.C. (1971). Death and Burial in the Roman World. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0801839672.</ref> <ref name="CurlMausolea">Curl, James Stevens (2002). The Egyptian Revival: Ancient Egypt as the Inspiration for Design Motifs in the West. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415243267.</ref> <ref name="BešlagićStećci">Bešlagić, Šefik (1982). Stećci: Kultura i umjetnost. Veselin Masleša.</ref> <ref name="FloodIslamicShrines">Flood, Finbarr B. (2001). The Great Mosque of Damascus: Studies on the Makings of an Umayyad Visual Culture. Brill. ISBN 978-9004116380.</ref> <ref name="GrabarIslamicArchitecture">Grabar, Oleg (1996). The Shape of the Holy: Early Islamic Jerusalem. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691038164.</ref> <ref name="HawassPyramids">Hawass, Zahi (2003). The Treasures of the Pyramids. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-9774248258.</ref> <ref name="SilvermanEgyptianAfterlife">Silverman, David P. (1991). Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801483349.</ref> <ref name="BudgeBookDead">Budge, E.A. Wallis (1967). The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0486218663.</ref> <ref name="ElsnerArtDeath">Elsner, Jas (1998). Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph: The Art of the Roman Empire A.D. 100–450. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0192842015.</ref> <ref name="ArièsDeath">Ariès, Philippe (1981). The Hour of Our Death. Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0394751566.</ref> </references>

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