Social:Secondary cremation

Primary cremation refers to burials where the body is burned "on the spot", in the grave. A secondary cremation is the burning of the body in one spot and then burying the remains and grave goods elsewhere. Secondary cremation may also more specifically refer to a cremation where the body is burned on a pyre, after which the bones are collected from the ashes and buried elsewhere (Sprague 2005:138). A famous account of such a burial is that of Homer's Iliad, describing the funeral of Patroclus.

References

• Roderick Sprague, Burial terminology: a guide for researchers, Rowman Altamira, 2005, ISBN:978-0-7591-0841-7.