EVOLUTION OF CEMETERY

TYPOLOGIES
 HISTORY OF
CEMETERIES

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 HISTORY
• For much of human history, we didn’t bury the
dead at all.
• One of the first known burials was 120 000 years ago
• Reserved for transgressors
• However, the first burials revealed some advantages
over common practices CAVES TREES MOUNTAINTOPS
• Protected bodies from scavengers and the
elements
• Shielded loved ones from the sight of decay

LAKES SEAS CANNIBALISM CREMATION

Images from this slide are clipped from: The fascinating history of cemeteries - Keith Eggener (TED-Ed on Youtube) 3
 HISTORY
• These benefits shifted people’s thinking toward
graves designed to honor the dead
• The graves sometimes contained practical or
rural objects – suggesting belief in afterlife

• Nomadic Scythians
• Filled steppes with grave mounds called
“Kurgans”

• Etruscans
• Necropoles – with grid-pattered streets lined
with tombs

• Rome
• Catacombs – housed urns & intact remains

Images from this slide are clipped from: The fascinating history of cemeteries - Keith Eggener (TED-Ed on Youtube) 4
 HISTORY
• In the 7th century, European burials took place in
graveyards located near or inside local churches.
• In the Early Christian era, European burials only
took place on consecrated ground, which was
under the control of the Church (“Cemetery,”
2016).
• A hierarchy determined where burials would take
place: a person with highest spiritual ranking
(martyrs/saints and clergy) were buried inside or
close to the church whereas people with lower
social ranks were buried in graveyards on the
margins of the church as the land there was
considered less sacred (Taylor & Lammerts, 2002;
“Cemetery,” 2016).

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 HISTORY

• During the 19th century the rapid expansion

of cemeteries and individual burial
practices eventually led to space problems.
As a result cemeteries were moved to the
outskirts of cities.
Aerial view of Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Photo grabbed through Google Images
• Democratization of burial did not get rid of
social hierarchy, a good example of this was
Père-Lachaise cemetery, which was created
for the wealthy and socially prominent
people in Paris.

Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Photo by Atlas Obscura

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E v o l u ti o n o f C e m e t e r y T y p e s
 7 T H CENTURY
CHURCH CEMETERY /
C H U RC H YA R D S

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 CHURCH
CEMETERY/CHURCHYARDS
• Every church had tombs inside or below them
which people where certain ranks were buried
• The adjoining/surrounding land was the The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Silchester, Hampshire. Photo by clivea2z | Flickr

churchyard where poor people and children were

buried
• Yew trees were commonly planted or used as
symbolic markers
• In the 19th century, churchyards were no longer
used

5,000 year-old Yew tree, St. Michaels Church, Discoed and

that is in the running for being the oldest living organism in
Europe. Photo by Peter Evans | Geograph UK
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 19 T H CENTURY
RURAL OR GARDEN
CEMETERY
LAWN CEMETERY

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 RURAL OR GARDEN CEMETERY

• Cemeteries that were designed spaces, having pathways and

avenues, and landscape to look and have the feel of a public
park
• The first example of this cemetery style began with British
Spring at Halycon Lake, Mt Auburn Cemetery | Flickr
architect Sir Christopher Wren. Wren believed burial grounds
should have landscaped designs, with elaborate walkways and
well-maintained trees and gardens.
• These cemeteries were designed for recreation purposes and
to establish a connection with nature in the emerging urban
society. (Bender, 1974)

Aerial shot of Mount Auburn Cemetery. Clipped from video by

Stephen Bronstein | YouTube

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 LAWN CEMETERY
• Consist of big, open lawns with series of burials
marked with commemorative plaques
• Introduced by Adolph Strauch in 1855 in
Cincinnati
• Became popular because of how easy lawn
cemeteries are to maintain compared to garden
and monument cemeteries
Lawn cemetery in Manila. Photo by Philippine Canadian Inquirer

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 TITLE LAWN BEAM CEMETERY
TRADITIONAL LAWN
CEMETERY
• A low elevated concrete beam
runs the length of burial plots on
which a plaque is implanted
• “A grass lawn cemetery where
(Auckland Council, 2014)
no headstones project above the
ground”. (Auckland Council,
2014)
• Allows plaques of standard size
and design to be placed
horizontally on the ground
• Cons:
• Placing artificial flowers,
vases, toys and other items
introduce clutter
• The grass could grow over
and cover the plaques
Frankston Cemetery. Photo from Frankston City Council

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 20 T H CENTURY
N AT U R A L C E M E T E RY

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 NATURAL CEMETERY
• Also called “green cemetery”
• A place where natural burial or “eco-burial” takes
place
• Natural burial is a process wherein the body is
allowed to decompose naturally.
• The body is buried in a pit with a minimum
depth cover or 800mm which is the active
layer of the soil
• Embalming of the body is not allowed Ramsey Creek Preserve, South Carolina. Photo from Memorial Ecosystems
• People are only buried in shrouds or
biodegradable coffins
• Burial plots are marked permanently with a
native tree or shrub

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 NATURAL CEMETERY

• A natural cemetery has burial restrictions that

involve the use of eco-friendly and recycled
materials
• The idea of natural cemetery is to use a natural
shrub land or woodland setting
• Natural cemeteries allow for rapid decomposition
so that the body can quickly return to nature.

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 STANDARD BURIAL – NATURAL BURIAL COMPARISON

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 OT H E R T Y P ES O F
C E M E T E R I ES
FAMILY CEMETERIES
MONUMENTAL CEMETERIES
MEMORIAL PARKS
MILITARY CEMETERIES
PUBLIC/PRIVATE CEMETERIES
PET CEMETERIES

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 MILITARY CEMETERIES
FAMILY CEMETERIES

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Metro Manila. | Wikipedia

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 MONUMENTAL CEMETERIES

Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy | Image grabbed through Google Images

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 REFERENCES
 Bhatt (2016). Cemeteries as Healing Landscapes.

Retrieved from URL:

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Cemeteries-as-healing-landscapes-Bh
att/403e8c9e4830f75645952c0e22f814e070728b25

Department of Health. Implementing Rules and Regulations of Chapter XXI of

the Sanitation Code of the Philippines.

Retrieved from URL: Pressnall (2016). Different Types of Cemeteries.

https://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/publications/Chapter_21_Disposal
_of_Dead_Persons.pdf
Gravely Speaking (2011) Types of Cemeteries
Retrieved from URL :
https://gravelyspeaking.com/2011/10/05/types-of-cemeteries/
History of the Cemetery
Retrieved from URL: http://thefuneralsource.org/cemhist.html
HLURB. Rules And Regulations For Memorial Parks/Cemeteries.
Retrieved from URL: http://
hlurb.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/laws-and-issuances/policies/MemorialParks
Cemeteries.pdf
Retrieved from URL:
https://www.imortuary.com/blog/different-types-cemeteries/
Rice, Jacob (2014) Types of Cemetery Graves and Tombs.
Ghostly Activities.
Retrieved from URL:
https://www.ghostlyactivities.com/types-cemetery-graves-tom
bs/
Terranova (2017). Cemeteries: The Evolution of the Final
Resting Place
Retrieved from URL:
https://www.frazerconsultants.com/2017/10/201710cemeteri
es-the-evolution-of-the-final-resting-place/
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cemetery

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 THANK YOU
SUBTITLE GOES HERE

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