All societies of which there is any record have had customs concerning
respect for corpses and the treatment of the bodies of the
dead.2 4 Sometimes these customs are central to the basic values and
symbols of a culture, like the Egyptian pyramids, mummies, and the
Book of the Dead.2S Sometimes the customs are based on rules concerning
the treatment of human remains.26 Regardless, funeral customs
throughout the world share one factor common to all: the assumption
that the dead person has not yet ceased to live.