The interpretation of textiles from prehistoric graves is sometimes complex, as there are different reasons as to why textiles can be found within the archaeological context of graves. Textiles can have a ritual/sacred meaning in graves, referring to the rites of passage between the time of death and the time of burial, or they can have a meaning during the burial itself. Inhumation graves can provide essential information about the clothing of the deceased, although whether this represents a special dress for the dead or clothing that was also worn by the living must be discussed. Here, too, the rites of passage must be observed, since even according to historical and ethnographic references, a person is not usually buried in the clothing in which he/she died. Various rites of undressing, cleansing, re-clothing, adornment, or veiling are performed before actually burying the dead body. All these rites give back to the corpse its social identity. Fabrics were also used as grave goods, with a value comparable to bronze vessels or precious weapons. In different time periods, rites of wrapping the grave goods and/or the corpse or the cremated remains are common. Weapons in particular (especially the bare blades of swords, but also entire swords or scabbards) are often deliberately wrapped with textiles before they are placed into the graves. The occurrence of textiles as wrappings or shrouds is always connected with the religious ideas and world views that support these rites. For prehistoric times, these cannot be fully deciphered due to the lack of written sources. In addition to ritual meanings, there are also purely functional reasons for the occurrence of textiles in graves: a textile that is a functional part of another artefact (e.g. the textile lining of a sword scabbard or sheet metal belt) was not deliberately deposited in the grave as a meaningful textile per se. Textiles can also be used to furnish the burial chamber, as covers of mattresses or pillows.