00:12

Spindly trees, rusted gates, crumbling stone, a solitary mourner— these things
come
to mind when we think of cemeteries. But not so long ago, many burial grounds
were
lively places, with blooming gardens and crowds of people strolling among the
headstones.

00:35
How did our cemeteries become what they are today? Some have been around for
centuries, like the world’s largest, Wadi al-Salaam, where more than five million
people are buried. But most of the places we’d recognize as cemeteries are much
younger. In fact, for much of human history, we didn’t bury our dead at all.

00:54
Our ancient ancestors had many other ways of parting with the dead loved ones.
Some were left in caves, others in trees or on mountaintops. Still others were sunk
in
lakes, put out to sea, ritually cannibalized, or cremated.

01:11
All of these practices, though some may seem strange today, were ways of
venerating
the dead. By contrast, the first known burials about 120,000 years ago were likely
reserved for transgressors, excluding them from the usual rites intended to honor
the
dead. But the first burials revealed some advantages over other practices: they
protected bodies from scavengers and the elements, while shielding loved ones
from
the sight of decay. These benefits may have shifted ancient people’s thinking
toward
graves designed to honor the dead, and burial became more common. Sometimes,
these graves contained practical or ritual objects, suggesting belief in an afterlife
where the dead might need such tools.

01:58
Communal burials first appeared in North Africa and West Asia around 10 to
15,000
years ago, around the same time as the first permanent settlements in these areas.
These burial grounds created permanent places to commemorate the dead. The
nomadic Scythians littered the steppes with grave mounds known as kurgans. The
Etruscans built expansive necropoles, their grid-patterned streets lined with tombs.
In Rome, subterranean catacombs housed both cremation urns and intact remains.
The word cemetery, or “sleeping chamber,” was first used by ancient Greeks, who
built tombs in graveyards at the edges of their cities.

02:45
In medieval European cities, Christian churchyards provided rare, open spaces that
accommodated the dead, but also hosted markets, fairs, and other events. Farmers
even grazed cattle in them, believing graveyard grass made for sweeter milk.

03:01
As cities grew during the industrial revolution, large suburban cemeteries replaced
smaller urban churchyards. Cemeteries like the 110-acre Père-Lachaise in Paris or
the 72-acre Mt. Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts were lushly landscaped
gardens filled with sculpted stones and ornate tombs. Once a luxury reserved for
the
rich and powerful, individually marked graves became available to the middle and
working classes. People visited cemeteries for funerals, but also for anniversaries,
holidays, or simply an afternoon outdoors.

03:42
By the late 19th century, as more public parks and botanical gardens appeared,
cemeteries began to lose visitors. Today, many old cemeteries are lonely places.
Some are luring visitors back with tours, concerts, and other attractions. But even
as
we revive old cemeteries, we’re rethinking the future of burial. Cities like London,
New York, and Hong Kong are running out of burial space. Even in places where
space isn’t so tight, cemeteries permanently occupy land that can’t be otherwise
cultivated or developed. Traditional burial consumes materials like metal, stone,
and
concrete, and can pollute soil and groundwater with toxic chemicals. With
increasing
awareness of the environmental costs, people are seeking alternatives. Many are
turning to cremation and related practices. Along with these more conventional
practices, people can now have their remains shot into space, used to fertilize a tree,
or made into jewelry, fireworks, and even tattoo ink.

04:48
In the future, options like these may replace burial completely. Cemeteries may be
our most familiar monuments to the departed, but they’re just one step in our ever-
evolving process of remembering and honoring the dead.