Sepolture

Sepolture is the Italian plural form of sepoltura, referring to burial practices and to burial places such as graves, tombs, and mausoleums. In English-language scholarship, sepulture is used to denote an interment or tomb. The concept encompasses both the disposition of a body and the designation of a burial site.

Common forms include inhumation, the burial of a body in a grave or coffin; and cremation, with the ashes interred in an urn or buried. Burial sites range from parish and municipal cemeteries to family vaults, catacombs, and mausoleums. Grave goods, inscriptions, and cemetery records often accompany burials as historical data.

Cultural and religious norms shape sepolture, including funeral rites, procession, and the disposition of remains. Practices vary by tradition and era, from ancient tombs in Egypt and Mesopotamia to Christian churchyard burials in medieval Europe, to modern secular or cremation-dominated landscapes in many regions. In some cultures, burial is followed by interment in family vaults or ossuaries, while others emphasize above-ground tombs and mausoleums.

Legal frameworks regulate interments through permits, cemetery management, and health regulations, with provisions for exhumation and reburial. Archaeology treats burials as sources of information, requiring careful excavation, conservation, and respect for the deceased. Contemporary trends include green or natural burials, urban cemetery redesign, and ongoing debates over disposition methods in response to population growth and environmental concerns.