Most of us have heard about Rome's catacombs at some point in our lives. These are ancient underground burials, dug into the rock under the city of Rome itself. There are more than forty of these catacombs, some of which have only come to light in recent years.
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.
The land in the general vicinity of Rome isn't enough for regular burials, but the soft volcanic rock the city is located on is easy to tunnel in. It's softer before the air touches it, hardening later. The city has many kilometers of tunnels, and in some places, they're up to four stories deep.
Anyone who's interested in the art of the early Christian period, or Jewish art from this time should see the catacombs. After all, most the sculptures, frescoes, and other artistic items from before the fourth century are located there.
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 rock outside the city, since there were laws in place forbidding burying people inside the city limits. Originally the catacombs were used not just for burial, but also for celebrations of the deaths of Christian martyrs and for memorials. They were not, however, used for regular worship.
The forty known catacombs in and around Rome are all build along roads like the Via Appia and Via Ostiense. Named after saints like Calixtus and Sebastian, the catacombs are rumored to contain the bodies of those martyrs.
Enormous passage systems were created by these early excavators, around seven to nineteen meters below the surface, encompassing an area of around two and a half square km. The levels are joined with narrow stairs, with passages no more than three feet wide in most places. Burial niches are placed along the walls.
In these relatively small niches, bodies were placed, as well as in special burial chambers. Despite being Christian in religion, most of the burials were generally Roman in appearance, with frescos and carvings in a similar style to mainstream 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.
Over the centuries, these excavations were intermittently explored, though professional studies weren't published until the nineteenth century. They now act as an important early Christian monument, and are maintained by the Vatican.
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.
The land in the general vicinity of Rome isn't enough for regular burials, but the soft volcanic rock the city is located on is easy to tunnel in. It's softer before the air touches it, hardening later. The city has many kilometers of tunnels, and in some places, they're up to four stories deep.
Anyone who's interested in the art of the early Christian period, or Jewish art from this time should see the catacombs. After all, most the sculptures, frescoes, and other artistic items from before the fourth century are located there.
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 rock outside the city, since there were laws in place forbidding burying people inside the city limits. Originally the catacombs were used not just for burial, but also for celebrations of the deaths of Christian martyrs and for memorials. They were not, however, used for regular worship.
The forty known catacombs in and around Rome are all build along roads like the Via Appia and Via Ostiense. Named after saints like Calixtus and Sebastian, the catacombs are rumored to contain the bodies of those martyrs.
Enormous passage systems were created by these early excavators, around seven to nineteen meters below the surface, encompassing an area of around two and a half square km. The levels are joined with narrow stairs, with passages no more than three feet wide in most places. Burial niches are placed along the walls.
In these relatively small niches, bodies were placed, as well as in special burial chambers. Despite being Christian in religion, most of the burials were generally Roman in appearance, with frescos and carvings in a similar style to mainstream 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.
Over the centuries, these excavations were intermittently explored, though professional studies weren't published until the nineteenth century. They now act as an important early Christian monument, and are maintained by the Vatican.
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