Have you heard about Rome's catacombs? These ancient burial locations are located underground, beneath Rome itself and in the area. There are at least forty separate catacombs, and some of them have only been discovered recently.
These catacombs are best known as burial places for Christians, but they've also held pagan Jewish burials, too. The catacombs started around the second century, since there wasn't enough land for the increasingly popular burial rituals, and cemeteries were filling fast.
There's not really enough land around Rome for standard burials, but the soft volcanic rock under the city is remarkably well suited for tunneling. Before it comes into contact with the air, it's quite soft, hardening later on exposure to air. Many kilometers of tunnels wind their way through the area under the city, and in some places are up to four layers deep.
Anyone with an interest in early Jewish or Christian art should take a trip to the catacombs. The incredible frescoes and sculptures located here represent the majority of artistic examples of the cultures prior to the fourth century.
Originally Roman citizens cremated the dead, but the popularity of burial either of bodies or the ashes rose during the second century CE. Christians also preferred burial over cremation, since burial was considered vital to resurrection.
The first big catacombs were carved through the rock outside the city, since laws at the time forbade burials inside the city limits. These were originally used not just for burial, but for memorials and religious celebrations of Christian martyrs, although they were never used for other regular worship.
There are forty known catacombs around and in Rome, all build along old roads like the Via Appia and Via Ostiense. Often named after saints, these places are thought to house these people's bodies by some.
These Christian excavators built enormous systems of passages, from seven to nineteen meters below the surface of the earth in an area of around two and a half square kilometers. Levels are jointed by narrow steps, and passages are usually about three feet wide and eight feet tall, with burial niches located in the walls.
These relatively small niches contained bodies. Special burial chambers were also built for wealthier Christians. Frescoes and carvings in these tombs made them look much like mainstream Roman ones.
Once Christianity became a state religion, fewer people were buried in the catacombs. More and more people were buried in churchyards and the catacombs became places of celebration for the martyrs.
Northern invaders attacked Rome and ransacked the catacombs. By the tenth century CE, they had fallen out of use, holy relics removed to above ground locations, and the catacombs were forgotten until their rediscovery in the sixteenth century.
They were explored intermittently over the centuries, with the first professional studies published in the 19th century. Now they're an important monument to the early Christian church, and are maintained by the Papacy.
These catacombs are best known as burial places for Christians, but they've also held pagan Jewish burials, too. The catacombs started around the second century, since there wasn't enough land for the increasingly popular burial rituals, and cemeteries were filling fast.
There's not really enough land around Rome for standard burials, but the soft volcanic rock under the city is remarkably well suited for tunneling. Before it comes into contact with the air, it's quite soft, hardening later on exposure to air. Many kilometers of tunnels wind their way through the area under the city, and in some places are up to four layers deep.
Anyone with an interest in early Jewish or Christian art should take a trip to the catacombs. The incredible frescoes and sculptures located here represent the majority of artistic examples of the cultures prior to the fourth century.
Originally Roman citizens cremated the dead, but the popularity of burial either of bodies or the ashes rose during the second century CE. Christians also preferred burial over cremation, since burial was considered vital to resurrection.
The first big catacombs were carved through the rock outside the city, since laws at the time forbade burials inside the city limits. These were originally used not just for burial, but for memorials and religious celebrations of Christian martyrs, although they were never used for other regular worship.
There are forty known catacombs around and in Rome, all build along old roads like the Via Appia and Via Ostiense. Often named after saints, these places are thought to house these people's bodies by some.
These Christian excavators built enormous systems of passages, from seven to nineteen meters below the surface of the earth in an area of around two and a half square kilometers. Levels are jointed by narrow steps, and passages are usually about three feet wide and eight feet tall, with burial niches located in the walls.
These relatively small niches contained bodies. Special burial chambers were also built for wealthier Christians. Frescoes and carvings in these tombs made them look much like mainstream Roman ones.
Once Christianity became a state religion, fewer people were buried in the catacombs. More and more people were buried in churchyards and the catacombs became places of celebration for the martyrs.
Northern invaders attacked Rome and ransacked the catacombs. By the tenth century CE, they had fallen out of use, holy relics removed to above ground locations, and the catacombs were forgotten until their rediscovery in the sixteenth century.
They were explored intermittently over the centuries, with the first professional studies published in the 19th century. Now they're an important monument to the early Christian church, and are maintained by the Papacy.
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