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{{Short description|Repository for the remains of the dead}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect2|Sepulchre|Entombment||Sepulchre (disambiguation)|and|Entombment (disambiguation)}}

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

A '''tomb''' (from {{langx|grc|τύμβος}} ''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 [[Disposal of human corpses|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 [[grave (burial)|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|thumb|upright=1.2|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 ''[[kurgan]]s'', these can be found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.<ref name="RenfrewBahn" />  
* '''[[Megalithic tomb]]''': Constructed of large stones ([[megalith]]s) and originally covered by earth; includes [[dolmen]]s and [[chamber tomb]]s.<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|thumb|upright=1.2|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 (architecture)|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|thumb|upright=1.2|Crypt of the [[Church of Saint Sava]], Belgrade]]  
Many religious traditions incorporate tombs into sacred buildings or cemeteries.  
* '''[[Burial vault (tomb)|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 (grave)|Ohel]]''': A structure around the grave of a [[Hasidic]] leader.  
* '''Islamic tombs''': Mausoleums or shrines called [[Mazar (mausoleum)|Mazar]], [[Türbe]], [[Qubba]], [[Dargah]], or [[Gongbei (Islamic architecture)|Gongbei]], often places of pilgrimage.<ref name="FloodIslamicShrines" /><ref name="GrabarIslamicArchitecture" />  
* '''[[Samadhi (shrine)|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:  
* The '''[[Great Pyramid of Giza]]''', tomb of the pharaoh [[Khufu]].<ref name="HawassPyramids" />  
* The '''[[Taj Mahal]]''' in Agra, India, mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal.  
* The '''[[Mausoleum at Halicarnassus]]''', one of the Seven Wonders.<ref name="CurlMausolea" />  
* The '''[[Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor]]''', guarded by the [[Terracotta Army]].  
* The '''[[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]]''' in Jerusalem, containing the empty tomb of [[Jesus]].<ref name="Brown1981" />  
* The '''[[Daisen Kofun]]''' in Japan, the tomb of Emperor Nintoku, the largest tomb in the world by area.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/280862/lifestyle/travel/where-emperors-sleep-japan-s-keyhole-shaped-burial-mounds|title=Where emperors sleep: Japan's keyhole-shaped burial mounds|last=Merueñas|first=Mark|date=2012-11-04|newspaper=GMA News Online|access-date=2017-01-11}}</ref>  
* Numerous national '''[[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier|Tombs of the Unknown Soldier]]''', such as at the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in Paris or [[Arlington National Cemetery]].  

== Gallery of tomb types ==
<gallery widths="180px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:Cheops pyramid 01.jpg|The [[Pyramid of Khufu]], a pyramid tomb.  
File:Sarcophagi-and-thumbs.jpg|Sarcophagi at [[Hierapolis]].  
File:BiH, Radimlja necropolis 5.jpg|[[Necropolis]] with stećci at Radimlja.  
File:Imam Hossein Holly Shrine01 (cropped).jpg|Shrine and tomb of [[Husayn ibn Ali|Imam Husayn]] in [[Karbala]].  
File:אהל הרבי מליובאוויטש מבפנים.JPG|The [[Ohel (Chabad-Lubavitch)|Ohel]], a Jewish pilgrimage site.  
File:Askainen church 2016 21.jpg|Tomb of the [[Mannerheim family|Mannerheim family]] in [[Askainen]], Finland.  
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of mausolea]]
* [[List of necropoleis]]
* [[List of tombs and mausoleums]]
* [[Cemetery]]
* [[Columbarium]]
* [[Grave (burial)|Grave]]
* [[Morgue]]
* [[Cadaver monument]]

== 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>

== External links ==
* {{Commons category inline|Tombs}}

{{Death and mortality in art}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tombs| ]]
[[Category:Burial monuments and structures]]
[[Category:Subterranea (geography)]]