In archeology, a cist (/ˈkɪst/; also kist /ˈkɪst/;[1][2] from Ancient Greek: κίστη, Middle Welsh Kist or Germanic Kiste) or cist grave is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead.
In some ways, it is similar to the deeper shaft tomb.
Examples occur across Europe and in the Middle East.
Several cists are sometimes found close together within the same cairn or barrow.
Often ornaments have been found within an excavated cist, indicating the wealth or prominence of the interred individual.