History of Coffins

A coffin or casket is a box where the remains of a person are placed as to be viewed and then either buried or cremated. Death has always been part of the life of a human, therefore, there has always been a need for some type of memorial service. With time, the traditions have changed and the funeral services will depend on the cultural background of the departed. In some regions of the world, people want to preserve the body for as long as they can, in others they just want to give the deceased a dignified farewell.

Early Man

The word ‘coffin’ derives from the Greek word ‘kophinos’which means basket. The principle has always been the same; provide the body with a decent, closed box or container in which it can be buried underground. The early man had different types of burials depending on the region that they belonged to. For example in Egypt people with money such as the pharaohs were placed in sarcophagus’s that were later placed inside one among many pyramids. The Celts had a different way of making their caskets.They would place flat stones together creating the shape of a box. Later on, the noblemen of Europe started using jewels in the creation of theircoffins.This gave way to the creation of more decorative caskets.

Modern Man

The modern man started implementing the use of other materials in the manufacturing or creation of coffins. The size and shape of a coffin is very much the same in all parts of the world, with variations depending on the individual that is about to be buried. Cremation has also grown popular given the fact that many believe man came from dust and to dust he shall return. Given the increasing demand, an industry was started with the manufacturing of coffins. Most of the time the coffins are mass-producedand sold to funeral homes that later sell them directly to the public. There are some traditions that have remained pretty much the same.

Current Man

The current man still maintains the same burial traditions as the modern man; however, new trends are starting to cut their way through into the coffin industry. One recent and strong trend is the availability of a biodegradable coffin. The environment has been impacted negatively by the behavior of humansand people are trying to become ‘greener’ towardsthe environment. This has allowed the biodegradable coffins to run up a high demand: more and more people are looking forward to being buried in an eco-friendly coffin AS they will degrade faster and will pose no harm to the environment. These coffins can also be used for cremation purposes because they are made of all natural, combustible materials thatareeasier to cremate versusmetal materials such as bronze or copper. Currently, there are also people that have stated in their will that they’d like to be buried in a coffin that has aunique shapeor theme; for example, sports.