Reddit reviews Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual

I actually attended a class last semester titled "The Anthropology of Death", and it was one of the most fascinating experiences of my life. Let me provide you with a little insight from our discussions.

To understand modern burial practices, we must first look at our closest known ancestors: Neanderthals. They were the first group of hominids known to practice burial. It is still under debate whether this began as something pragmatic, or if they were a species that cared more closely for their living and sought to care for the body after death. My speculation is that it began out of necessity. Large mammals in northern Europe would pose a threat to hominids, even if they were simply scavenging for the remains of the deceased. Burying the dead was a way to eliminate the odor associated with decay, deterring scavengers and possible predators. However, a burial discovered in France in 1908 has shown that not only was the individual buried, but that they were cared for in life. The remains were intact and biologically progressed in age past the point of most average lifespans of Neanderthals. They had suffered some previous injuries that would have made it nearly impossible to survive without the aid of others, so anthropologists who have studied the site believe this person was well cared for in life, as well as death.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131216-la-chapelle-neanderthal-burials-graves/

People historically have buried the dead for religious reasons. Ancient Greeks and Romans, for example, had specific and elaborate rituals that needed to take place in order for their "psyche" (soul) to pass to the Underworld. This was typically a three-step process that included viewing of the body, funeral procession, and burial or in some cases, cremation. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm

A coin or token was placed in the mouth of the deceased to allow the soul to pay the way of passage to the Underworld via ferry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon's_obol

Some historical evidence shows that burial was also necessary to prevent the spread of disease. The Black Death is a perfect example of this. Mass graves have been discovered that indicate the apparent disposal of human corpses for health reasons, as funerary practices were not being performed out of fear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_pit

However, a dead body poses few health risks to the public, unless there is a known disease associated with the deceased. It is a common misconception that decay is a public health hazard, as our minds naturally associate the putrefaction of a corpse with disease (i.e. foul smells). http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/emergencies/em2002chap14.pdf?ua=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_risks_from_dead_bodies

If you are interested in further research, I implore you to read the following books, as I have found them to be personally insightful on the topics of death, dying, and burial practices.
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Mourning-Burial-Cross-Cultural-Reader/dp/1405114711
https://www.amazon.com/Celebrations-Death-Anthropology-Mortuary-Ritual/dp/0521423759/

This is the textbook that I read about that topic, and found very interesting. It describes different forms of grief in different cultures.