By placing stones on top of a dead body to prevent wild animals disturbing the gravesite, prehistoric man inadvertently began the custom of burying the dead .
Burial practices vary throughout history and the world, e.g. the Egyptian mummies and pyramid tombs were decorated with hieroglyphic art; the ancient Romans interred their dead in niches beneath the city in what are known as the Catacombs; and the Vikings launched the dead out to sea in boats. Many other civilizations cremated the dead, painted bodies, erected tombs or placed simple markers at the death and/or burial site.
In modern times, the custom of burying dead people below ground with a stone marker to mark the place is used in almost every modern culture. Cremation is the norm in India and mandatory in Japan.
Words on Stone 
Thanks for the info on the Winslow tomb…always wondered about it…
Have you visited old Cockpen Church (Midlothian, Scotland) between Dalhousie Castle & Old Toll (gorebridge)?
It’s a great wee place with some interesting stones.
I grew up in Dalkeith and know this area very well.