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Preferred term

funeral conveyances  

Definition

  • The first dedicated funeral vehicles are thought to be the sledges of ancient Egypt appearing in tomb art. Greek historian Diodorus Siculus described the richly decorated four-wheeled carriage that transported the golden coffin of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E. Hearse, the word used for contemporary funeral vehicles, originated from the rake or hirpex used by Roman farmers (also called a harrow in Saxon England or a hearse following the Norman invasion of 1066), which resembled the candelabra of Norman funeral services when it was inverted and held aloft. [Source: Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience; Funeral Conveyances]

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URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/funeral_conveyances

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