gravehouses
- Scope note
- Small, house-like structures built over graves, usually comprising a shed or ramada, which is a roof with comer posts supporting it. Examples are found in the American south, in Native American cultures, and in certain places in Europe; roof-shaped constructions made of wood and placed fresh graves seem to date from the Bronze Age in Europe (ca. 2000-800 BCE). For houselike structures intended as dwellings for spirits, use "spirit houses (religious structures)." For freestanding structures or rooms near graves for the benefit of mourners, prefer "funeral chaples." For buildings, often grand but sometimes smaller, that permanently house the body of the deceased, use "mausoleums."
- Date of creation: 18-Nov-2024
Accepted term: 18-Nov-2024