Burial - Exhumation

Exhumation

Exhumation of human remains might occur due to a number of reasons, such as during a criminal investigation or moving a burial ground. Or an exhumation might be done illicitly by grave robbers or as an act of desecration to show disrespect. In most jurisdictions a legal exhumation usually requires a court order or permission by the next of kin of the deceased. Also in many countries permits are required by some governing agency like the board of health in order to legally conduct a disinterment. Some examples include:

If an individual dies in suspicious circumstances, the police may request exhumation in order to determine the cause of death.
Deceased individuals who were either not identified or misidentified at the time of burial may be reburied if survivors so wish.
In Southern Chinese culture, graves are opened after a period of years. The bones are removed, cleaned, dried, and placed in a ceramic pot for reburial (in Taiwan), or in a smaller coffin to be taken home by the rest of the family (in Vietnam). The practice is called jiǎngǔ in Taiwan, or boc mo in Vietnam '揀骨 “digging up bones” and is an important ritual in the posthumous “care” of children for their deceased parents and ancestors. Failure to carry out this ritual is considered a failure of filial piety.
Similarly in Hong Kong where real estate is at a premium, burials in government-run cemeteries are disinterred after six years under exhumation order. Remains are either collected privately for cremation or reburied in an urn or niche. Unclaimed burials are exhumed and cremated by the government. Permanent burial in privately run cemeteries is allowed.
Remains may be exhumed in order to be reinterred at a more appropriate location. For example, when the remains of MIA soldiers are discovered, or the case of Nicholas II of Russia and his family, who were exhumed from unmarked graves near Yekaterinburg to be reinterred in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The passing of time may mean political situations change and a burial can take place in different circumstances. Roger Casement was executed at Pentonville Prison in London on 3 August 1916 and buried in the prison grounds but his body was exhumed given a state funeral in Dublin on 1 March 1965.
The remains of the Venerable or the Blessed are sometimes exhumed to ensure their bodies lie in their correctly-marked graves, as their gravesites usually become places for devotees to gather, and also to collect relics. The bodies may also be transferred to a more dignified place. It also serves the purpose to see if they are supernaturally Incorrupt. An incorrupt corpse is no longer considered miraculous, but it is a characteristic of several known saints. Exhumation is no longer a requirement in the beatification process, but still may be carried out.
Remains may be exhumed and reburied en masse when a cemetery is relocated, once local planning and religious requirements are met.
In rare, historical cases (e.g. Pope Formosus or Oliver Cromwell), a body may be exhumed for posthumous execution, dissection, or gibbeting.
Notable individuals may be exhumed to answer historical questions. Many Ancient Egyptian mummies have been removed for study and public display.
In the UK once the top of a coffin has been lowered below ground level in a burial if it raised again, say for example the grave sides are protruding and need further work, this is considered an exhumation and the Home Office are required to be notified and a full investigation undertaken. Therefore grave diggers in the UK are particularly careful to ensure that grave sites are dug with plenty of room for the coffin to pass.

Once human remains reach a certain age, some cultures consider exhumation acceptable, especially if this is followed by later reburial following traditional burial rites. This serves several purposes:

Cemeteries sometimes have a limited number of plots in which to bury the dead. Once all plots are full, older remains may be moved to an ossuary to accommodate more bodies, in accordance with burial contracts, religious and local burial laws.
It enables archaeologists to search the remains to better understand human culture.
It enables construction agencies to clear the way for new constructions. One example of this is cemeteries in Chicago next to O'Hare International Airport to expand the runways.

Frequently, cultures have different sets of exhumation taboos. Occasionally these differences result in conflict, especially in cases where a culture with more lenient exhumation rules wishes to operate on the territory of a different culture. For example, United States construction companies have run into conflict with Native American groups that have wanted to preserve their burial grounds from disturbance.

Jewish law forbids the exhumation of a corpse.

In folklore and mythology, exhumation has also been frequently associated with the performance of rites to banish undead manifestations. An example is the Mercy Brown Vampire Incident of Rhode Island, which occurred in 1892.