Cremation is the burning of a corpse as a final disposition method, typically performed in a closed furnace (cremator) at a crematorium, leaving behind about 2.4 kg of inert, ground bone fragments known as cremains. Its history is ancient, dating back at least 17,000 years to the Mungo Lady in Australia, and it was practiced in Bronze Age Europe (e.g., the Urnfield culture around 1300 BCE) and ancient Greece and Rome, though preferences fluctuated. Religious and cultural views varied greatly—ancient Egyptians prohibited it due to their transmigration theology, while Hinduism and Jainism have long prescribed it, with evidence in India's Cemetery H culture from around 1900 BCE. The rise of Christianity led to a decline and near-total ban on cremation in Europe, but it was reintroduced in the 19th century and is now a common modern practice. Today, cremains can be buried, interred in memorials, retained by relatives, or scattered, offering a flexible alternative to traditional burial.