The Columbarium: Six Feet Under (not the TV show)
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Thanks to popular euphemism, we all know that corpses are buried six feet under. But why six feet? Why not seven feet? Twelve feet? Forty feet?
The deeper you go, the harder the job is for gravediggers (even with modern machinery, a forty-foot hole would take a while). But other than that…nobody really knows why we settled on six feet. Though there are some theories.
The Plague!
When the Bubonic plague hit London in the mid-1600s, the Lord Mayor famously ordered that all graves be six feet deep. But his order didn’t explain the rationale behind the depth, and so many people died that the order was largely rejected in favor of gigantic mass graves.
As much as I love a good Renaissance Faire, I’m grateful I never had to experience the actual Renaissance. Gross.
Average Human Height!
Imagine you’re a gravedigger. You’re digging, digging, digging, and finally you’re standing in a hole that’s about as deep as you are tall. If you keep going, it’s going to be really hard to toss the dirt over your head and onto the ground above. Six feet is just practical.
Apparently there was also a popular rule of thumb in ye olde Englande that a grave should be as deep as the corpse is tall. So the depth could be a continuation of old folklore, too.
Most of these theories have to do with English tradition, but it’s worth noting that Muslim burial practices require the grave to “be deep enough for half of the average height of a man, but if dug deeper, it is better.”
A Deterrent!
Many people believe the depth was meant to keep graverobbers—or hungry animals—out. Six feet is a lot to dig for valuables and/or lunch. But if gravediggers could handle six feet, you’d think graverobbers could match them.
These theories are well and good. There’s just one problem: we don’t always bury bodies six feet under.
There’s no federal requirement for grave depth—every state does things differently. In VA cemeteries, there are 3-foot, 4-foot, 5-foot, and 6-foot plots, depending on the location. Most states mandate somewhere between 18 inches and 4 feet.
And then there are natural burial cemeteries, where people are laid to rest without embalming, fancy coffins, or concrete vaults. Natural burials typically take place 3.5-4 feet under the earth, which is ideal for decomposition. And no, animals won’t dig that deep. And no, the decomposing bodies won’t taint the water table, which is more like 70 feet below the surface.
However you choose to lay your loved ones to rest, chances are they won’t be six feet under anything.
Sources: Verywell Health, Mental Floss, WYTV, Feldman Mortuary