Why Are Graves Dug 6 Feet Deep? (2024)

FAQs

Why Are Graves Dug 6 Feet Deep? ›

Therefore, graves were always dug six feet deep to prevent body snatchers from gaining access to the buried remains. Another issue that people were worried about was animals digging up graves. An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators.

People may have also buried bodies 6 feet deep to help prevent theft. There was also concern that animals might disturb graves. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.

Generally speaking, most graves aren't six feet deep nowadays. Graves used to be this deep once upon a time. But in this day and age, the average grave is only about four feet deep. This is deep enough to prevent a casket in a grave from rising up to the surface during a flood.

So the top of the top coffin was only 4′6″ deep. So, for a single burial the hole would be six feet deep but the top of the coffin would be only 4′6″ from the surface. This depth was maintained for sanitary reasons. I hope that helps.

The deeper a body is buried, the slower the rate of decomposition due to lack of oxygen and microbe community. That rate will be affected by the temperature which is specific to the depth. Higher outdoor temperatures will increase the decomposition rate depending on how close to the surface the body is buried.

Dead and buried, as in No, you can't read my diary—not until I'm six feet under . Although this expression alludes to what has long been the traditional depth of a grave, that is, approximately the same as the length of the coffin, it dates only from the mid-1900s.

If you are looking at a long-lasting ground casket, pick a steel or metal casket. If the grave site is low on water content or moisture, metal caskets are known to last even longer, over five decades. Under favorable weather conditions, experts say that metal caskets may even last more than that – up to 80 years.

Today, some cemeteries rent out plots, which allows people to lease a space for up to 100 years before the grave is allowed to be recycled and reused. Many countries around the world have resorted to this process as their available land begins to fill.

However, most modern graves in the United States are only 4 feet (1.2 m) deep as the casket is placed into a concrete box (see burial vault) to prevent a sinkhole, to ensure the grave is strong enough to be driven over, and to prevent floating in the instance of a flood.

In the depth of winter if nothing green is available, we will use a bale of straw to line the grave for this same purpose. The other benefit from vegetation in the grave is that the texture helps add void areas in the soil where oxygen is present.

Are coffins actually buried 6 feet deep? ›

TIL that it is a common misconception that graves must be dug to a depth of six feet; often, graves are 30-36 inches deep. The six foot rule was implemented in 1665 during the Great Plague of London, when city officials apparently believed this would inhibit the spread of disease.

For humans, maintaining an upside-down position, with the head vertically below the feet, is highly uncomfortable for any extended period of time, and consequently burial in that attitude (as opposed to attitudes of rest or watchfulness, as above) is highly unusual and generally symbolic.

Various factors affect the decomposition rate of a body inside a crypt. If the remains were embalmed and the climate inside is dry and cool, it can take decades for decomposition to happen. But all bodies are different and will decompose at various rates, even with similar crypt environments.

Historically, cemeteries were used for unlimited burials. This was possible because space was available for the expansion of the cemeteries. If the space was not available, bodies were exhumed to create room for more burials.