I wonder if the burial of people in caskets started so animals couldn’t easily dig us up and drag our remains around town? I’m not sure why we started the practice of trying to preserve bodies with chemicals. I don’t think that’s necessary and I’m sure there are customs around the world where that isn’t part of the process. There may not be a solid foundation for keeping our dead out of the gardens where we grow our food, but it sure makes me feel better that we currently do.
Seems to me embalming in America took off during the Civil War when they wanted to ship soldiers bodies home via train. Could be wrong about that.
Some believe the soul isn’t fully released until the body is completely gone. Maybe [they] started embalming in the name of “safety”.