During the Second Crusade for the Holy Land it was not thought fit for aristocrats who fell in battle, or died of natural causes, to be buried away from their homeland in Muslim territory. The transportation of the whole body back from foreign parts over long distances was impractical and unhygienic due to decomposition, which was often accelerated by the climate. Mos Teutonicus was especially important in warmer climates since the body was subject to faster decay. In the Mediterranean, bodies were often subject to Mos Teutonicus to preserve the body from decay because of warmer temperatures.