Coffin
A rigid container used to hold a dead person for burial or transport. Coffins are generally shaped to fit the body, unlike rectangular caskets.
Burial: The placement of a dead person or animal in the ground or another designated resting place. A coffin commonly accompanies burial, though burial can also occur without one.
Ancient Egyptian funerary practices: The rituals and material practices used to prepare and bury the dead in ancient Egypt. Egyptian coffins developed elaborate forms and decoration within a distinctive funerary system.
Green burial: A burial approach that minimizes environmental impacts and avoids practices such as chemical embalming. Green burial often favors simple, biodegradable coffins or burial without a coffin.
Memento mori: An object, image, or practice reminding people that death is inevitable. A coffin is a recurring visual symbol in memento mori art.
Casket: A burial container, usually rectangular and often fitted with a hinged lid. Caskets serve a similar purpose but are typically rectangular rather than body-shaped.
Sarcophagus: A stone coffin, often decorated or inscribed, used in ancient and later burials. Stone sarcophagi are a durable historical form of coffin.
Natural burial: A form of burial designed to allow the body and grave materials to return to the natural environment. Its rules may restrict coffin materials, finishes, and construction.
Death in art: The representation of death, dying, and mourning in visual and performing arts. Coffins serve as direct images of death and its social rituals.
Pallbearer: A person who carries or accompanies a coffin during a funeral procession. Pallbearers handle the coffin during the public movement from service to burial.
Anthropoid sarcophagus: A sarcophagus shaped to resemble the human body, especially associated with ancient Egypt. Its body-shaped form makes it a close historical counterpart to the modern coffin.