Editing Gravestone (section)

{{Short description|Stele or marker, usually stone, placed over a grave}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect-multi|2|Tombstone|Headstone|the city in Arizona|Tombstone, Arizona|other uses|Tombstone (disambiguation)|and|Headstone (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

[[File:Gravestone of Andrew Drake.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Captain Andrew Drake (1684–1743) sandstone gravestone from the [[Stelton Baptist Church, Edison|Stelton Baptist Church]] in [[Edison, New Jersey]]]]
A '''gravestone''' or '''tombstone''' is a marker, usually [[stone]], that is placed over a [[grave]]. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a '''headstone'''. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a '''funeral stele''', '''stela''', or '''slab'''. The use of such markers is traditional for [[Chinese burial|Chinese]], [[Jewish burial|Jewish]], [[Christian burial|Christian]], and [[Islamic burial|Islamic]] [[burial]]s, as well as other traditions. In East Asia, the tomb's [[spirit tablet]] is the focus for [[Chinese ancestral veneration|ancestral veneration]] and may be removable for greater protection between rituals. Ancient grave markers typically incorporated [[funerary art]], especially details in stone [[relief]]. With greater literacy, more markers began to include inscriptions of the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death, often along with a personal message or [[prayer]]. The presence of a frame for photographs of the deceased is also increasingly common.