Atomb(Greek:τύμβοςtumbos[1]) orsepulcher(Latin:sepulcrum) is arepositoryfor the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be calledimmurement,although this word mainly means entombing people alive, and is a method offinal disposition,as an alternative tocremationorburial.
Overview
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The word is used in a broad sense to encompass a number of such types of places of interment or, occasionally,burial,including:
- Architectural shrines– inChristianity,an architectural shrine above asaint's firstplace of burial,as opposed to a similar shrine on which stands areliquaryorferetoryinto which the saint's remains have been transferred
- Burial vault– a stone or brick-lined underground space for multipleburials,originallyvaulted,often privately owned for specific family groups; usually beneath a religious building such as a
- Church
- Cemetery
- Churchyard
- Catacombs
- Chamber tomb
- Charnel house
- Church monument– within a church (or a tomb-style chest in a churchyard) may be a place of interment, but this is unusual; it may more commonly stand over thegraveor burial vault rather than containing the actual body and therefore is not a tomb.
- Coemeterium
- Crypts– often, though not always, for interment; similar to burial vaults but usually for more general public interment
- Dolmen
- Funeral home
- Hypogeumtomb – stone-built underground structure for interment, such as thetombs of ancient Egypt
- Kokh (tomb)– a rectangular rock-cut sloping space, running inward, like tunnels into rock, sufficiently high and wide to permit the admission of a corpse
- Martyrium– Mausoleum for the remains of martyrs, such asSan Pietro in Montorio
- Mausoleum(includingancient pyramidin some countries) – external free-standing structure, above ground, acting as both monument and place of interment, usually for individuals or a family group
- Mazar,Marqad orMaqbara(Islamic terminology for tombs of notable religious figures or saints, ormausolea):
- Megalithic tomb(includingChamber tomb) – prehistoric place of interment, often for large communities, constructed of large stones and originally covered with an earthen mound
- Necropolis
- Ohel,a structure built around the grave or graves ofHasidicRebbes,prominent rabbis, Jewish community leaders, and biblical figures in Israel and the diaspora
- Pillar tomb– a monumental grave. Its central feature is a single, prominent pillar or column, often made of stone.
- Rock-cut tomb– a form widespread in the ancient world, in which the tomb is not built but carved out of the rock and can be a free-standing building but is more commonly a cave, which may be extensive and may or may not have an elaborate facade.
- Sarcophagus– a stone container for a body orcoffin,often decorated and perhaps part of a monument; it may stand within a religious building or greater tomb or mausoleum.
- Sepulchre – a cavernousrock-cut space for interment,generally in theJewishor Christian faiths (cf.Holy Sepulchre).[2]
- Samadhi– in India a tomb for a deceased saint that often has a larger building over it as a shrine
- Stećak– inmedieval Bosniaindividual stećaks or grouped in stećak necropolises were a form of sepulchral burial culture between 12th and 16th century;
- Other forms of archaeological "tombs", such asship burials
- Tumulus– (plural: tumuli) Amoundofearthandstonesraised over agraveor graves. Tumuli are also known asbarrows,burial mounds,Hügelgräberorkurgans',and can be found throughout much of theworld.Acairn(a mound of stones built for various purposes), might also be originally a tumulus. Along barrowis a long tumulus, usually for numbers of burials.
As indicated, tombs are generally located in or under religious buildings, such as churches, or in cemeteries or churchyards. However, they may also be found incatacombs,on private land or, in the case of early or pre-historic tombs, in what is today open landscape.
TheDaisen Kofun,the tomb ofEmperor Nintoku(the 16th Emperor of Japan), is the largest in the world by area.[3]However, thePyramid of KhufuinEgyptis the largest by volume.
Composition
editStyles
editNotable examples
edit- Dartmoor kistvaens
- Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- Great Pyramids
- Taj Mahal
- Tomb of Alexander the Great
- Tomb of Genghis Khan
- Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
- Green Dome,which contains the tombs ofMuhammadand two of his elitecompanions,housed within theProphet's MosqueinMedina
- Catacombs of Paris
- Catacombs of Rome
- The Panthéon
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre,which contains the empty tomb ofJesus,where according to early Christian tradition he was buried andresurrected.
- Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak,Bulgaria
- Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari,Bulgaria
- Tomb of Seuthes III,Bulgaria
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
See also
editReferences
edit- ^τύμβος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek-English Lexicon,on Perseus Digital Library
- ^Morana, Martin (2011).Bejn Kliem u Storja(in Maltese).Malta:Books Distributors Limited. p. 211.ISBN978-99957-0137-6.Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2016.
- ^Merueñas, Mark (4 November 2012)."Where emperors sleep: Japan's keyhole-shaped burial mounds".GMA News Online.Retrieved11 January2017.
The Nintoku-ryo tumulus is one of almost 50 tumuli collectively known as "Mozu Kofungun" clustered around the city, and covers the largest area of any tomb in the world.
External links
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Media related toTombsat Wikimedia Commons
