埋葬从字面上说是将一个人或物体埋入地下的行为。这是通过在地上挖掘坑或壕沟，将物体放入，再进行覆盖所实现的，甚至以矫形的方式去安葬。

莫斯特期墓葬是目前所知的最早土葬。中国的夏、殷等朝代都是采用土葬。中国自古即流行土葬，《周礼》更中“众生必死，死必归土”，《韩诗外传》中说“人死曰鬼，鬼者归也，精气归于天，肉归于地。”

Burial or interment is the ritual act of placing a dead person or animal, sometimes with objects, into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objects in it, and covering it over. Humans have been burying their dead for at least 100,000 years. Burial is often seen as indicating respect for the dead. It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.