cist

Receptacle for the body or ashes in early burials. Made from a variety of materials including tiles, dressed or rough stone, wood, or brick, cists are usually found in graves which may be covered by a barrow or burial mound. Although in common use in prehistoric times, they are most abundant in the Bronze Age and Roman periods.

A cist was also a small box containing sacred utensils, carried in procession during the Greek mystic festivals.