The use of grave monuments to mark burial sites dates back to Roman and Celtic cultures. There are a variety of different types and styles of monuments that are used to honor the dead. These monuments differ widely depending on their nation of origin, the socio-economic status of the departed and the time period.
Headstones and Footstones
Headstones are the most common type of funerary monument found in cemeteries. They are called headstones because they are placed above the body's head. Footstones, on the other hand, are smaller stones placed at the feet. There are a number of different styles of headstones.
Domed tablet stones, for example, have rounded tops, while standard tablet stones are a basic rectangle placed either directly on the ground or on a supporting base. Gothic tablet stones vary widely in their ornamentation. Other types of upright headstones include obelisks, which are narrow four-sided monuments with tapered or pointed tops.
Traditional headstones were usually inscribed with the name of the individual, his birth and death date, and often provided information about the life--and sometimes death--of the person. Footstones were usually unmarked, but sometimes they bore the initials of the deceased.
Mausoleums
The use of mausoleums as burial monuments dates back as far as Ancient Egypt, where colossal pyramids were built to honor the pharaohs. Ancient Romans often built mausoleums for wealthy members of society, and these grave markers lined major city streets.
Mausoleums usually have a door where family and friends can enter. Many of them are large enough where many members of the same family can be placed inside the same vault. They usually have small shelves where the bodies or coffins are placed. Above-ground burials have a long tradition in the United States.
New Orleans, for example, started using mausoleums around the end of the eighteenth century. One story suggests that New Orleans adopted the tradition because it was the style in Europe, while another suggests that it was a matter of practicality because of the city's high water table.
Other Monuments
A sarcophagus is an upright grave monument that contains the body itself. This form of burial has been used since the ancient Egyptian period. A lidded box of stone, often shaped like a coffin, holds a coffin inside. This type of burial was common in England for many years, but the tombs were easy to break into and many of them were severely vandalized.
Pedestal monuments were usually large in size with four faces that were used for inscription. They sometimes looked like small houses with pointed roofs. They were made from marble or granite.
Tree stump tombstones were carved from marble or limestone. They were created to look like trees that had been cut down, representing the concept that the deceased had also been cut down before his time. These artistic pieces first appeared in the 1870s and retained their popularity for approximately 60 years.
Crosses are found frequently in cemeteries. Several different types of cross monuments are the Celtic cross, which dates back to early Celtic culture; the traditional Latin cross, which is popular in Roman Catholic cemeteries; the rustic cross, which is a simple granite or marble cross that resembles wood; and the Calvary cross, which represents faith, hope and charity.
Resources
- Colorado Cemeteries: The Anatomy of Tombstones (Colorado-cemeteries.com/tombstones.html)
- East Ridgelawn Cemetery: A Brief History of the Community Mausoleum (Eastridgelawncemetery.com/MausoleumHistory.html)
- Rochester's History: Cemetery Monuments (Vintageviews.org/vv-tl/pages/Cem_Monuments.htm)
Stephany Seipel - Stephany Elsworth has a bachelor's degree in fine arts/curriculum and instruction from Texas State University and a master's degree in ...
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