Burial

Burial, also called interment and (when applied to human burial) inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by digging a pit or trench, placing the person or object in it, and replacing the soil.

Objects are sometimes buried in order to hide them against removal or tampering. For cables and pipelines, burial provides protection.

Reasons for human burial
After death, the corpse will start to decay and emit unpleasant odors due to the gases released by bacterial decomposition. Burial prevents the living from having to see and smell the corpses, but is not necessarily a public health requirement. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the WHO advises that only corpses carrying an infectious disease strictly require burial.

Human burial practices seek to demonstrate "respect for the dead", for the following reasons.

• Respect for the physical remains is considered necessary. If left lying on top of the ground, scavengers may eat the corpse, which is considered highly disrespectful to the deceased in many (but not all) cultures.
• Burial can be seen as an attempt to bring closure to the deceased's family and friends. By interring a body away from plain view, the pain of losing a loved one can be lessened. Many cultures believe in an afterlife. Burial is often believed to be a necessary step for an individual to reach the afterlife.
• Many religions prescribe a "right" way to live, which includes customs relating to disposal of the dead.