Urns For Cremation – A Brief History

The word “urn” generally brings to mind a drab metal or iron vessel. However, urns for cremation have taken different designs and significance through history.

Scientists have documented the earliest known human creation as taking place over 20,000 years ago in Australia. Cremation processes-and the subsequent handling of cremated ashes-have occurred in various forms throughout history, depending on the time, country, culture, personal and political beliefs or religious practices.

Some cultures hold an open-air cremation for the deceased, after which they scatter ashes in a sacred location or a river or ocean. Mass cremation has served during times of war, national disaster or widespread sickness, in which cases families do not receive the ashes of their loved ones. Some cultures cremate and then bury the remains.

Cremation is usually a lower-cost alternative to burial. And cremated remains take up much less room than burial plots, so cremation is considered friendlier to the environment.

Modern cremation is the process of placing a deceased person in an industrial furnace at very high temperatures for several hours; once most of the body has vaporized into gases, the remaining bone fragments are ground into an ash-like powder. These cremation remains, or “cremains” as they are often called, are placed in a sealed container, or urn, and provided to the family or next of kin.

Urns often reflect the individuality or preferences of the deceased-and are a way for the living to remember their loved one. Archaeological digs have revealed ancient burial urns made of pottery and decorated with illustrations.

Today, cremation urns are available as generic or as personalized as a family or individual wishes. They may be wooden, metal, ceramic, clay, bronze, marble, glass or biodegradable. There is also urn jewelry for those who wish to keep a small portion of the ashes in a piece of jewelry. These various types of modern urns often fulfill a variety of purposes.

Cremation remains may be kept in an urn at home, scattered in a location of significance, or buried in a burial urn in a cemetery or in a special memorial building called a columbarium. In all of these cases, the urn plays an important role in celebrating and memorializing the life of a loved one.