Why Are Graves Dug 6 Feet Deep? (2024)

FAQs

Why Are Graves Dug 6 Feet Deep? ›

People may have also buried bodies 6 feet deep to help prevent theft. There was also concern that animals might disturb graves. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.

Therefore, graves were always dug six feet deep to prevent body snatchers from gaining access to the buried remains. Another issue that people were worried about was animals digging up graves. An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators.

Generally speaking, most graves aren't six feet deep nowadays. Graves used to be this deep once upon a time. But in this day and age, the average grave is only about four feet deep. This is deep enough to prevent a casket in a grave from rising up to the surface during a flood.

So the top of the top coffin was only 4′6″ deep. So, for a single burial the hole would be six feet deep but the top of the coffin would be only 4′6″ from the surface. This depth was maintained for sanitary reasons.

The six feet under rule for burial may have come from a plague in London in 1665. The Lord Mayor of London ordered all the “graves shall be at least six-foot deep.” The order never said why six feet. Maybe deep enough to keep animals from digging up corpses.

Dead and buried, as in No, you can't read my diary—not until I'm six feet under . Although this expression alludes to what has long been the traditional depth of a grave, that is, approximately the same as the length of the coffin, it dates only from the mid-1900s.

If you are looking at a long-lasting ground casket, pick a steel or metal casket. If the grave site is low on water content or moisture, metal caskets are known to last even longer, over five decades. Under favorable weather conditions, experts say that metal caskets may even last more than that – up to 80 years.

Today, some cemeteries rent out plots, which allows people to lease a space for up to 100 years before the grave is allowed to be recycled and reused. Many countries around the world have resorted to this process as their available land begins to fill.

In the depth of winter if nothing green is available, we will use a bale of straw to line the grave for this same purpose. The other benefit from vegetation in the grave is that the texture helps add void areas in the soil where oxygen is present.

Some of the ancient religions (based on the sun) would bury the dead facing east so that they could face the "new day" and the "rising sun." Once again, Christ is considered to be the "Light of the World," which explains the eastward facing burials.

Why don't we bury bodies vertically? ›

For humans, maintaining an upside-down position, with the head vertically below the feet, is highly uncomfortable for any extended period of time, and consequently burial in that attitude (as opposed to attitudes of rest or watchfulness, as above) is highly unusual and generally symbolic.

Ancient Jews believed that placing the stone on a grave would keep the soul down in this world. Some people find comfort in this. Another interpretation leaning more toward superstition, suggests the opposite, that the stones can keep evil spirits, demons and golems from getting into the graves.

In a burial, the body of the deceased is lowered into the ground. Throwing dirt on a casket is an action to honor a loved one's return to nature. This idea can bring a lot of solace to the bereaved in a time of grief. The earth that is the birthplace of the person lost ends up as their ultimate resting place.

People may have also buried bodies 6 feet deep to help prevent theft. There was also concern that animals might disturb graves. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.

The traditional “6 Foot Deep” rule is actually based on an edict issued during the London Plague of 1665 by the Lord Mayor himself. The belief and fear in those days was that a corpse was just as capable of spreading a disease as a live body was.

Whilst foot refers to the single unit of measurement, 'feet' is its plural alternative. In this sense, the difference between foot and feet in Maths depends on how large the distance or length is that you are measuring.

TIL that it is a common misconception that graves must be dug to a depth of six feet; often, graves are 30-36 inches deep. The six foot rule was implemented in 1665 during the Great Plague of London, when city officials apparently believed this would inhibit the spread of disease.

Various factors affect the decomposition rate of a body inside a crypt. If the remains were embalmed and the climate inside is dry and cool, it can take decades for decomposition to happen. But all bodies are different and will decompose at various rates, even with similar crypt environments.

Historically, cemeteries were used for unlimited burials. This was possible because space was available for the expansion of the cemeteries. If the space was not available, bodies were exhumed to create room for more burials.