Normally you'd probably say "lying on", or just "on", but here the box is (appropriately) humanised, as if it were a living human being sitting there.

(Just had to look up "anthropomorphised" to check it doesn't only refer to animals :-)

Nein, to sit = sitzen. Ich wuerde sagen, dass es eine figurative Bedeutung hat ...Es heisst, dass die Urne einfach dort war.... unabhaengig davon, ob sie gestanden, gelegen oder gesessen ist ...

Im Deutschen ist das mit sitzen, liegen oder stehen ohnehin so eine Sache.

Ein Buch liegt auf dem Tisch, wenn es mit einem der Deckl die Platte berührt und steht im Regal, wenn es es dort schön senkrecht arrangiert ist. Könnte noch logisch sein. Aber eine Kiste steht immer, egal wo, und egal, welche Abmessungen sie hat. Auch ein ganz flacher Teller steht auf dem Tisch, liegen kann er gar nicht - es sei denn, in Scherben. Eine Lampe sitzt and der Decke - jedenfalls, wenn sie dort fest angeschraubt ist, andernfalls hängt sie.

Warum sollte das im Englischen logischer sein?

It is quite a common thing to say, though: you could often translate "sit" as "stehen", but I'd be careful using it as a non-native speaker, as it's only appropriate in some contexts and is often quite colloquial. It does also have that slight suggestion of anthropomorphism, like when you call a spider "he".

OF THINGS
3 to be in a particular place: [v + adv. / prep.] A large bus was sitting outside. The pot was sitting in a pool of water. The jacket sat beautifully on her shoulders (= fitted well). [v-adj] The box sat unopened on the shelf. http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl

Interesting question.

My answer would be that 'sit' is just another way to say 'be' (on or next to something). I wouldn't say it's really anthropomorphic at all -- the urn was not being personified, it was just there. It certainly wasn't lying, because it's not a flat shape that can spread out on a surface without rolling or moving (a garment, book, newspaper, etc.), and it certainly wasn't standing, because it's not a tall shape that can stay upright without tipping or falling (a tall shelf, rack, sign, etc.). It's just a neutral shape, and it was somewhat upright (it has a top and a bottom), but not tall. Makes sense to me. (-;

My impression is that with things, not people, German actually uses specific verbs ('liegen/legen,' 'stehen/stellen,' 'sitzen/setzen,' and 'stecken') considerably more often than English, which often just uses one general verb for everything ('be/put').

So if English does occasionally use a more specific verb, I would have thought that German speakers would be the first ones to understand that kind of usage, even if the specific case is slightly different.

But sometimes it's just where each language draws the boundary between the different shapes that's confusing. For example, this plate (or bowl?) of dirk's. I think that plate would actually be sitting on the table in English, because it doesn't have a flat surface against the table, and it's not tall. So I might as well ask, How the heck can the the thing be standing up in German, did it suddenly grow a pedestal and little feet? But the lamp, now: Obviously it should be standing on the table, because it's tall and does have a pedestal. Sitting? Hmmpf. Totally unfair. (-;

i don't think sitting has to do with the shape of the object. and it's not about anthropomorphisation (whew!) it implies that someone left it there and that it is unattended.

I left my keys sitting on the counter. Why is this box sitting in the middle of the floor? You can have our old stereo, it's just sitting in the attic (it was left there and no one is using it). our new car is still sitting at the dealership--no one's picked it up yet.

@hm--us:
Die Lampe sitzt nicht auf dem Tisch, sondern an der Zimmerdecke! Eine Tischlampe steht natürlich.

Ich würde sagen, alles was allein durch die Schwerkraft an seinem Platz gehalten wird, steht (wenn es umfallen kann), liegt (wenn es nicht umfallen kann) oder hängt (wenn es herunter fallen kann). Was angeschraubt, genagelt, geklebt, eingebaut oder irgendwie anders befestigt ist, sitzt.

Leider gilt diese Regel nicht immer. Niemand weiß, warum Teller und Schüsseln auf dem Tisch stehen, statt zu liegen, obwohl sie beim besten Willen nicht umfallen können. Ebenso Autos auf der Straße. Auch mein Telefon steht vor mir, obwohl es deutlich breiter als hoch ist und niemals freiwillig auf die Seite kippen würde. Bei der Tastatur, die ich gerade benutze, bin ich mir nicht sicher, ob sie liegt oder steht. Die Maus aber liegt daneben.

Bei Lebewesen ist es ganz anders, wenn auch nicht viel logischer. Auf den Füßen steht man, auf dem Rücken (auch auf dem Bauch oder auf der Seite) liegt man und auf dem Hintern sitzt man. Vögel allerdings sitzen immer, obwohl sie eigentlich auf den Füßen stehen. Das gleiche gilt für Insekten und ähnliches Krabbelgetier.

@schwänzer #7 - It's equally correct to say "I left my keys lying on the counter." Does the difference in choice of words (sitting vs lying) change the arrangement of the keys in your mind? [For me, sitting on the counter conjures an image of them bunched up; lying on the counter has them spread out - but I wouldn't press this in any way, shape or form.]

That's funny, maybe it's just my fertile imagination, but whenever I hear of an object "sitting" somewhere it has a slight element of anthropomorphism to me. Or maybe that isn't quite the right word? I mean, if you say "the bus is outside" or even "the bus is standing outside" I'd just imagine a boring old bus, but if I heard "the bus is sitting outside" I imagine it almost waiting for the passengers to get in. The car sitting at the dealership might look quite lonely, and an urn sitting on the back seat sounds much perkier to me than an urn simply "on" a back seat. To my ears, "sitting" also has a potentially humorous touch to it which more common phrases don't have.

Mit "to be in a particular place" finde "to sit" sehr passend erklärt. Z.B.

"I can't find my keys"
"They are sitting right there on the table"

@Dirk
"alles was allein durch die Schwerkraft an seinem Platz gehalten wird,... hängt (wenn es herunter fallen kann)." aber dann fällt es doch herunter! ;-)

@Schira. Es kann, aber normalerweise wird es nicht (hoffentlich) ...