funerary

Funerary is a term used as an adjective to describe anything pertaining to death and the ceremonies, rites, and monuments associated with burial or cremation. It covers a broad range of practices, artifacts, and architectural forms and is a key concept in archaeology, anthropology, art history, and religious studies. The term derives from Latin funus, funeral, and entered English through Old French.

Funerary practices vary across cultures and historical periods, but common elements include rites of passage to honor the deceased, methods of disposition of the body (burial, cremation, ossuary interment), and the use of grave goods and memorial structures. In archaeology, funerary remains such as graves, tombs, and funerary objects help researchers interpret social status, beliefs about the afterlife, and ritual behavior.

Funerary art and architecture comprise monuments and objects intended to commemorate or provide for the deceased in afterlife concepts. Examples include tombs and mausolea, sarcophagi, stelae, grave markers, and inscriptions, as well as ritual spaces like mortuary temples and cemeteries. The study of funerary material can reveal trade, cultural contact, and evolving religious practices.

In modern contexts, funerary practices continue to evolve with changes in religion, law, and social norms, including traditional burials, cremation, and green or natural burials, as well as memorialization through monuments, cemeteries, and digital memorials.