There are topics that are unpleasant to think about. Nevertheless, at any moment they can touch each of us. One of them is the organization of a funeral. All services associated with them are provided by funeral homes: from paperwork to transportation of the deceased to the cemetery.
For transportation use, as a rule, a hearse. This vehicle, having appeared many centuries ago, has changed along with human civilization. And once technical progress turned an ancient funeral chariot into a modern car hearse.
When did the hearse appear
This may seem surprising, but the history of the hearse is rooted in the Ancient World. The surviving bas-reliefs give an idea of what the first vehicles for transporting the deceased looked like.
Of course, it was about the rulers and noble nobles. Their hearse was a lush canopy stretcher mounted on a chariot.
In the Middle Ages, a hearse is no longer a privilege of the nobility. Then the expensive stretchers were finally crowded out by horse-drawn carts - vehicles accessible to almost all social classes.
In the 19th century, horse-drawn funeral carriages were widespread . Thus, depending on wealth, the relatives of the deceased could choose between a simple wagon and a more prestigious crew. The latter were decorated with carvings, plumes, velvet and gilding.
Hearse today
With the advent of cars, much has changed. Ritual horse-drawn carriages were replaced by auto hearse. By 1920, only in the United States, 30 to 40 companies were involved in the production of funeral transport.
Today, in the view of many of us, a hearse is a car specially designed to transport a coffin to a cemetery. Nevertheless, explanatory dictionaries interpret this concept a little wider.
According to them, the meaning of the word "hearse" is not limited only to a vehicle. In addition, it means, for example, an elevation for the coffin in the room where the requiem is held, as well as a stand on which the coffin is moved.