Why the coffin is buried 2 meters. Why are they buried at a depth of two meters? Permafrost and deserts

Today we want to touch on not the most pleasant, but enough interesting topic answering the question why people are buried 2 meters deep.

At the time of the funeral, probably few people think about how deep the level of dug graves is. And this is obvious, but in reality there is a certain standard that is followed in cemeteries. And the standard figure is 2 meters.

The emergence of the standard

It is noteworthy that such a standard, which we use today, was introduced many centuries ago, namely in the 17th century.

During the plague epidemic that enveloped England in 1655, mortality rose to unthinkable levels. And even after death, the bodies of people were dangerous and could cause infection of other residents of cities. That is why it was decided to bury people at a depth of 6 feet, which in terms of meters is 2 meters.

It is noteworthy that this measure did not greatly affect the decrease in the incidence, since the main carriers of the plague were insects, however, despite this, the rule remained and is still used today.

Other reasons

There are other reasons why the standard of burial at the level of two meters has been preserved to this day. One of these is the problem of phosphorus release. Most people do not know about this, and do not think about it, however, after burial, phosphorus begins to be released from the graves. Such a reaction remains completely imperceptible to people if the coffin is at a depth of about 2 meters.

However, if this standard is not observed, phosphorus will break out to the surface of the earth, and its main property, perhaps, is known to all people today - it glows. It is quite obvious that the glowing graves in the cemetery are not the most familiar sight that can bring most people to horror.

In addition, another practical aspect of such a standard is that in such a situation, the graves remain inaccessible to wild animals. If the burial depth is less than 2 meters, the likelihood that animals will dig holes next to the graves is quite high.

Now you know why people are buried 2 meters deep, and why this indicator has become the standard, and is observed in most countries of the world to this day, despite the fact that it originated almost 400 years ago.

AT English language there is one phrase that translates as "6 feet down". By saying it, people mean death or burial. But hardly anyone wondered why the dead people are buried at a depth of 6 feet (2 meters).

This tradition dates back to 1655, when all of England was devastated by the bubonic plague. In these terrible years people were afraid of the spread of infection, and the mayor of London issued a special decree that regulated how to deal with the bodies of dead people in order to avoid the spread of infections and infections.

It was then that it was decided to bury the graves to a depth of 6 feet (2 meters). Many people doubted that this was the right decision, because the infection was primarily carried by insects, not dead bodies.

Be that as it may, this standard has remained to this day.

In the US, for example, the depth standard varies from state to state. In many cases it is 18 inches. It turns out that the authorities of some states believe that one and a half meters is enough. But there are also cases when dead people are placed at a depth of 4 meters: this is done so that there is room on the surface for other dead people. Usually this procedure is used in the case of relatives and close people.

2 meters of depth is considered today the most common standard. Depths greater than this can cause problems, for example in New Orleans, where there are many undercurrents. Moreover, there were cases when coffins buried too deep were pushed out from the bottom of the soil.

In Great Britain, for example, people adhere to the same standard adopted several centuries ago. It is clear that the reason is quite different. Special services urge people to take precautions: coffins must be buried to such depths that animals cannot dig a grave and expose the body or coffin.

First, it's a compromise. It is impossible to bury too close to the surface, so that the corpse, for example, is not dug up by animals, so that it is not exposed in heavy rain, etc.; but digging too deep is lazy and hard.
However, in the modern English-speaking world, "six feet" is more of an idiom than a real rule. The dead are buried at different depths, depending on local conditions and customs.

Some associate this directly with church customs. The land for burial in Christianity is consecrated, and only its upper three meters are "consecrated". Therefore, the desire to bury the dead precisely at such a depth is associated either with a historical habit or with religious beliefs.

We find examples in the literature of how suicides, hypocrites (at that time it was considered sinful) and other unworthy people sought to be buried either outside the cemetery fence, or below the level of three meters.

Among other things, one can start from purely pragmatic approaches. In our latitudes, the depth of freezing of the earth is up to 180 cm (just 6 feet). Above this level, the water in the soil freezes in winter and melts in summer - expanding and contracting. Accordingly, it stirs and shakes everything that is at an insufficient depth. Below the level of freezing, the dead are somehow calmer. Coffins will last longer.

Since ancient times, people have been burying their dead. Accompanied by the mourning living, the dead go to the land from which they came. Funeral rites were present in all cultures, although sometimes they had significant differences. One of the most common ways of burial was and remains burial in earthen graves.

In addition to ritual burial, it also has important practical significance. Having said goodbye to the soul, the body loses its vitality and begins to rapidly decompose. This process poses a serious danger to living people; cadaveric substances released during decay can be deadly.

It is even worse if the death was caused by an infectious disease. Terrible epidemics that claimed thousands of lives were often caused by the opening of old graves and the release of pathogens dormant there.

How to conduct a burial ritual correctly? What is the depth of the grave to comply with all the requirements of the rite and prevent possible dangers to the health of living people?

The depth of digging a grave is determined by several factors. The grave must reliably protect the body from erosion by groundwater, natural Disasters(e.g. landslides), being torn by animals. Therefore, it cannot be located either too deep, where it will be threatened by the waters of the soil, nor too superficial.

The first of the Russian rulers who realized the need to form and observe certain sanitary rules that determine how deep the grave should be, was Peter the Great. In 1723, by royal decree, he ordered to dig graves to a depth of at least 3 arshins, which is just over 2 meters in the modern system of measures.

With this command, the ruler hoped to prevent possible epidemics, and, as time has shown, he was right. Failure to comply with the decree, the poor condition of the cemeteries led to the plague in 1771. Alexander I introduced punishments for "funeral crimes" - non-compliance with the norm of the depth of the grave.
But the problem did not disappear, there was a catastrophic lack of cemeteries and places for them. Cases of burial of new dead in old graves were the norm. Only at the very end of the nineteenth - the beginning of the twentieth century, the situation began to change, clear instructions were developed, it was determined how deep the grave was dug and how cemeteries were arranged, and serious control over the implementation of these instructions was created.

Grave depth according to sanitary standards
The arrangement of cemeteries is specified in detail by federal legislation and regulations of local authorities. All rules are based on clearly formulated and time-tested standards of sanitation and ecology.

What determines the depth of the grave for a person?
- Earth.
The deceased returns to the ground, and the depth of the grave will depend largely on its properties. Two meters deep, the soil must be dry and light, let air through, otherwise a cemetery cannot be arranged on such land.
- Water.
The body must be protected as much as possible from contact with groundwater. This is necessary in order to avoid contamination of water with putrefactive decomposition products. organic matter. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to locate cemeteries in areas where groundwater is more than two meters deep from the surface of the earth. It is the properties of the soil and the level of standing groundwater that must be guided by determining the depth of the grave in each specific area.
- Natural disasters.
A logical ban on the construction of cemeteries in areas prone to frequent landslides and collapses, flooding, in swampy areas.
- Culture and religion.
Some religions have clear prescriptions for every stage of the life of believers, including for the arrangement of the grave and burial. Of course, they must be observed in strict accordance with the requirements of sanitation, otherwise serious problems cannot be avoided.

The depth of the grave according to GOST.
There is GOST R 54611-2011 - these are household services. Services for the organization and conduct of funerals. General requirements
All the circumstances affecting the grave itself and ensuring sanitary safety were carefully revised and formalized in the form of a federal law. It is called "On Burial and Funeral Business", and all actions in this area must be coordinated with it.

The maximum depth of the grave pit should be no more than 2.2 meters. Further immersion threatens close contact with the waters of the soil. Depending on local conditions, the depth may vary, but the distance to groundwater in any case should be at least half a meter.

The minimum depth in accordance with the law is one and a half meters (measured to the coffin lid).

The measurements of the grave pit are at least 2 meters long, 1 meter wide, 1.5 meters deep. The size of children's graves can be reduced. The distances between grave pits should not be less than a meter on the long side and less than half a meter on the short side.

Above the grave, a slab is necessarily installed or an embankment is arranged. There are also certain requirements for it, so it should be no more than half a meter in height. The embankment is an additional protection of the grave from the effects of surface water, it should protrude beyond the edges of the grave pit.

If the deceased is buried in a sitting position, it is necessary to ensure that the thickness of the earth layer above him is at least one meter, including the grave mound.

In exceptional cases, mass graves are dug to a depth of at least two and a half meters (when coffins are buried in two rows). The bottom of the grave pit, of course, should not reach the groundwater level by at least half a meter. The upper row of the burial is at least half a meter away from the lower one.

Compliance with the rules for the construction of cemeteries and a certain depth of digging graves ensures the sanitary safety of the population and should be carried out everywhere.

In paragraph 10.15 of the Recommendations "On the order of burial and the maintenance of cemeteries in Russian Federation» MDK 11-01.2002 the table is given:
when burying a coffin with a body, the depth of the grave should be determined depending on local conditions (the nature of the soil and the level of standing groundwater); at the same time, the depth should be at least 1.5 m (from the surface of the earth to the lid of the coffin). In all cases, the mark of the bottom of the grave should be 0.5 m above the groundwater level. The depth of the graves should be no more than 2-2.2 m. .

In the sanitary rules SanPin 21.1279-03, which have become invalid since the introduction of SanPiN 2.1.2882-11, in section 4 “hygienic requirements for organizing burials and the rules for operating cemeteries”, clause 4.4 established that when burying a coffin with a body, the depth of the grave should be set depending on local conditions (the nature of the soil and the level of standing groundwater), at least 1.5 m.

In the new SanPin 2.1.2882-11, this norm is not specified. So all the graves are dug according to the recommendations from paragraph 10.15 "On the order of burial and the maintenance of cemeteries in the Russian Federation" MDK 11-01.2002.

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Today in our article we will consider not the most pleasant topic, however, people are often interested in it, so we simply could not pass by. It's about about why people are buried 2 meters down.

To begin with, I must say that a 2-meter depth is not a standard at all, but it is approximately this distance that is accepted for use in very many countries.

Despite the fact that 2 meters depth is not a standard, approximately this distance is used in many countries and has already become a kind of rule. And such a standard is leaving, which is interesting, quite far, and to be precise - in the 17th century.

History knows many cases of all kinds of epidemics, but the trouble that overtook England in 1655 left an irreparable mark. We are talking about an epidemic of bubonic plague that hit the kingdom.

People were contracting the disease by the thousands, tens of thousands, resulting in a very high death rate. And even when infected people died, there was a very high probability of infecting other residents of the country. That is why the mayor of London decided to introduce a depth standard for the burial of the dead. Considering other metric system, different from ours, the decree set the standard at 6 feet, which is approximately equal to the same 2 meters below ground level.

The decree was immediately adopted, and although the expediency of this decision was discussed for a very long time, this standard has remained to this day, and is actively used in many countries.

Expediency of using the standard today

Of course, today the issue of plague does not bother people either in England or in other countries, but the approximate standard for the depth of burial remains. And there is a rational explanation for that. The fact is that the burial depth of 2 meters allows you to be sure that all kinds of animals will not be able to dig a grave.

At the same time, some people decide to bury their relatives at a greater depth, for example - 4 meters. This allows you to leave one more place in the cemetery for relatives.

It is also worth noting that in some countries and individual cities, for example, in many US states, people are buried at a shallower depth. For the United States, the standard is 18 inches, which does not exceed half a meter. However, nevertheless, it is the two-meter coefficient that is the unspoken standard used in most countries.

The theme of death for a very a large number people is an unspoken taboo. People try not to talk about it or even mention it. Fearing our death, the death of our loved ones, we push this topic to the backs of our consciousness, not wanting to think and talk about it. But it is an inevitable part of our life.

Today we will tell you about where the tradition of burying bodies at a depth of two meters came from.

All over the world, people are buried in graves of approximately the same depth - 2 meters. The established standard has certain reasons for this, going back to the most ancient times.

Why are they buried at two meters

It all started with the plague. In 1655, the bubonic plague swept across Great Britain. The Black Death literally devastated the country, and big cities, in which many people lived, suffered especially. All the streets of London were full of bodies, the city was suffocating from the number of dead, their number was in the thousands, and no one understood where to put them all, what to do.

The mayor of London has decided to bury people to a depth of 6 feet (2 meters) in order to stop the sources of infection. The municipality issued a Plague Infection Order stating that "all graves must be at least 6 feet deep."

As a result, the law extended both to England itself and to its colonies. Modern American burial laws vary from state to state, although many simply require a 45 cm distance from the ground to the coffin or burial vault.

Why are they buried at a depth of 2 meters

Without any safety standards, a few years after soil erosion, the bones of the deceased could suddenly appear on the surface of the earth, frightening the living and acting as carriers of diseases. The minimum standard depth helps to leave dead man where he should be.

This standard eventually spread throughout the planet. It is supported to this day.

As for Russia, there is GOST, which states that the maximum depth of the pit should be no more than 2.2 meters, so as not to accidentally touch the groundwater. The minimum depth is 1.5 meters, and this figure is also regulated by GOST.

Unusual cemeteries

And now let's talk about the most unusual cemeteries in the world.

Of course, in itself, the cemetery is a somewhat creepy place, with which people do not have the most pleasant emotions. However, in our selection of cemeteries are very interesting, with which many legends, stories and facts are associated.

Savannah Airport, Georgia, USA

You may be surprised that the photo shows an airport runway, but this is actually a graveyard. At Savannah Airport, under runway number 10, the bodies of the Dotson couple are buried. The husband and wife used to live in an old house in the area where the airport is now located, and were buried side by side on the site. The airport has repeatedly negotiated with the relatives of the spouses about the transfer of the grave, but they never received consent, and this cannot be done without the consent of the relatives.

Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The cemetery is incredible in terms of architecture, however, it is not included in the list for this reason. It's all about the terrible and completely non-standard stories that it stores. Evita Peron is buried in this cemetery, fresh flowers always lie on her grave.

Near her lies a young girl, Rufina Cambaceres, who was buried alive and came out of a coma right in the coffin. Also near Evita is the grave of a poor gravedigger, David Alleno. He collected money for 30 years in order to buy himself a plot for burial. After he had the necessary amount in his hands, the man committed suicide.

Hanging coffins of Sagada, Philippines

The vast majority of people in the world are accustomed to the fact that cemeteries are located underground; in the Philippines, the Igorot tribe lives, who bury their dead not just anywhere, but in the air. A cemetery always hangs over the people of this tribe.

Sapinta Merry Cemetery, Maramures, Romania

This cemetery has become a real tourist attraction. The monuments in this cemetery are painted in bright colors, so the atmosphere is not at all mourning, and most of the epitaphs are funny or even satirical.

Highgate Cemetery in London, UK

This cemetery is one of the most famous in England, and all because every statue and every crypt here is a work of architectural art. However, among other things, the cemetery is famous for a large number of ghosts. For example, a tall Highgate vampire with a hypnotic gaze. Another ghost is a crazy woman who runs around the cemetery in search of the children she killed.

Greyfriars Cemetery, Scotland

This cemetery is very old, it has quite a rich history. It was created in the 1560s at a local prison. In total, 1,200 people were imprisoned in the prison, of which only 257 people left it safe and sound, while the rest were buried here.

Today, few people dare to enter the cemetery at night. They say that a person will not be given rest by the souls of the innocently killed.

San Michele Island, Venice, Italy

Most people do not like to visit cemeteries, and some are even afraid to be there. And how would you react to the whole island of the dead? There is such an island in Venice.

At some point, it turned out that the burials of people in the main territory of Venice began to lead to unsanitary conditions, all the dead began to be buried on the island of San Michele. To this day, this is done in a special gondola.

Cemetery of La Noria, Chile

In the middle of the Chilean desert are the small mining towns of Humberstone and La Noria. Unfortunately, these cities have scary story. This is a story about how the owners mocked their miners - slaves. Sometimes they were simply killed in the cruelest way, not sparing even children. They were buried in the cemetery of La Noria.

Today, while in this cemetery, a person does not leave the feeling of otherworldly surroundings. At the cemetery great amount dug and open graves. Some even have skeletons peeking out.

Church of the Dead Chiesa dei Morti, Urbino, Italy

This church is known not only for its big name, but also for the mummies represented in it. Most of them can be seen through the classical baroque arch. There are 18 mummies in total, and each of them has its own alcove (a niche in the wall). The church was built by the Brotherhood of the Good Death.

Bachelor's Grove, Chicago, USA

They say about this cemetery that there are more ghosts here than anywhere else in the entire territory of America. Eyewitnesses talk about seeing strange figures in the cemetery.

The most famous ghost is a white woman with a child in her arms. In the 1950s, there were a lot of reports that a ghost house appeared in the cemeteries. Among other things, a farmer with a horse was seen at the cemetery at various times, who were brutally killed not far from the cemetery, as well as a black dog.

Paris catacombs, France

The number of "inhabitants" of the Parisian catacombs is almost three times higher than the number of Parisians living at the top. Nearly 6 million people are buried here. Haute Paris is chic and its beautiful life not at all like the gloominess that accompanies lower Paris.

There are whole corridors of bones and skulls. The Parisian catacombs are huge, no one even knows how much the labyrinth is tangled, so it’s quite possible to get lost here forever.

Roman Crypt of the Capuchins, Italy

The Crypt of the Capuchins consists of six rooms, which are located under the Italian church of Santa Maria della Concezione. Here "live" 3700 skeletons belonging to the monks of the Capuchin brotherhood. The remains of the monks were brought here in 1631. This required 300 carts. Moreover, they were buried in earth specially brought from Jerusalem.

After 30 years, the remains of the monks were exhumed and put on public display in the hall. However, the message from the brotherhood, which was translated into 5 languages, is more terrible than mummies: “We already were what you are. And you will only be what we are now.

In English, there is one phrase that translates as "6 feet down." By saying it, people mean death or burial. But hardly anyone wondered why the dead people are buried at a depth of 6 feet (2 meters).

This tradition dates back to 1655, when all of England was devastated by the bubonic plague. In these terrible years, people were afraid of the spread of infection, and the mayor of London issued a special decree that regulated how to deal with the bodies of dead people in order to avoid the spread of infections and infections.

Be that as it may, this standard has remained to this day.

How to conduct a burial ritual correctly? What is the depth of the grave to comply with all the requirements of the rite and prevent possible dangers to the health of living people?

The depth of digging a grave is determined by several factors. The grave must reliably protect the body from erosion by groundwater, natural disasters (for example, landslides), and torn by animals. Therefore, it cannot be located either too deep, where it will be threatened by the waters of the soil, nor too superficial.

With this command, the ruler hoped to prevent possible epidemics, and, as time has shown, he was right. Failure to comply with the decree, the poor condition of the cemeteries led to the plague in 1771. Alexander I introduced punishments for "funeral crimes" - non-compliance with the norm of the depth of the grave.
But the problem did not disappear, there was a catastrophic lack of cemeteries and places for them. Cases of burial of new dead in old graves were the norm. Only at the very end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century did the situation begin to change, clear instructions were developed, it was determined how deep the grave was dug and how cemeteries were arranged, and serious control over the implementation of these instructions was created.

What determines the depth of the grave for a person?
- Earth.
The deceased returns to the ground, and the depth of the grave will depend largely on its properties. Two meters deep, the soil must be dry and light, let air through, otherwise a cemetery cannot be arranged on such land.
- Water.
The body must be protected as much as possible from contact with groundwater. This is necessary in order to avoid contamination of water with putrefactive decomposition products of organic matter. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to locate cemeteries in areas where groundwater is more than two meters deep from the surface of the earth. It is the properties of the soil and the level of standing groundwater that must be guided by determining the depth of the grave in each specific area.
- Natural disasters.
A logical ban on the construction of cemeteries in areas prone to frequent landslides and collapses, flooding, in swampy areas.
- Culture and religion.
Some religions have clear prescriptions for every stage of the life of believers, including for the arrangement of the grave and burial. Of course, they must be observed in strict accordance with the requirements of sanitation, otherwise serious problems cannot be avoided.

The maximum depth of the grave pit should be no more than 2.2 meters. Further immersion threatens close contact with the waters of the soil. Depending on local conditions, the depth may vary, but the distance to groundwater in any case should be at least half a meter.
The minimum depth in accordance with the law is one and a half meters (measured to the coffin lid).
The measurements of the grave pit are at least 2 meters long, 1 meter wide, 1.5 meters deep. The size of children's graves can be reduced. The distances between grave pits should not be less than a meter on the long side and less than half a meter on the short side.
Above the grave, a slab is necessarily installed or an embankment is arranged. There are also certain requirements for it, so it should be no more than half a meter in height. The embankment is an additional protection of the grave from the effects of surface water, it should protrude beyond the edges of the grave pit.
If the deceased is buried in a sitting position, it is necessary to ensure that the thickness of the earth layer above him is at least one meter, including the grave mound.
In exceptional cases, mass graves are dug to a depth of at least two and a half meters (when coffins are buried in two rows). The bottom of the grave pit, of course, should not reach the groundwater level by at least half a meter. The upper row of the burial is at least half a meter away from the lower one.

Compliance with the rules for the construction of cemeteries and a certain depth of digging graves ensures the sanitary safety of the population and should be carried out everywhere.

In paragraph 10.15 of the Recommendations "On the order of burial and the maintenance of cemeteries in the Russian Federation" MDK 11-01.2002, the table is given:
when burying a coffin with a body, the depth of the grave should be determined depending on local conditions (the nature of the soil and the level of standing groundwater); at the same time, the depth should be at least 1.5 m (from the surface of the earth to the lid of the coffin). In all cases, the mark of the bottom of the grave should be 0.5 m above the groundwater level. The depth of the graves should be no more than 2-2.2 m. .