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.
The catacombs are known best as Christian burial places, but they've also been home to Jewish and pagan burials as well. This institution arose in the second century CE, as a response to the shortage of land for burial and overcrowding in the cemeteries.
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, Romans cremated the majority of their dead. However, starting around the second century CE, it became popular to bury remains instead, either burnt or unburnt. Christians preferred burial, considering it important for bodily 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.
Enormous systems of passages were built by these early Christian excavators, all between seven and twenty meters below the earth's surface, taking up an area of about two and a half kilometers square. The levels are joined using narrow stairways, with passages about three feet wide and eight feet tall. Burial niches are located in the walls of the catacombs.
These niches were relatively small, but bodies were placed both here and in special burial chambers that more closely resembled Roman tombs of the time. Carvings and frescoes can be found here.
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.
Rome was sacked in the tenth century by invaders from the north, ransacking the catacombs. After this, they fell into disuse, and all the remaining relics moved above the ground. The catacombs of Rome were then forgotten until about the late sixteenth century.
Over the centuries the catacombs have been intermittently explored, though professional studies weren't published until the nineteenth century. These burial locations now act as an important monument to the early church, and are under the maintenance of the Vatican.
The catacombs are known best as Christian burial places, but they've also been home to Jewish and pagan burials as well. This institution arose in the second century CE, as a response to the shortage of land for burial and overcrowding in the cemeteries.
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, Romans cremated the majority of their dead. However, starting around the second century CE, it became popular to bury remains instead, either burnt or unburnt. Christians preferred burial, considering it important for bodily 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.
Enormous systems of passages were built by these early Christian excavators, all between seven and twenty meters below the earth's surface, taking up an area of about two and a half kilometers square. The levels are joined using narrow stairways, with passages about three feet wide and eight feet tall. Burial niches are located in the walls of the catacombs.
These niches were relatively small, but bodies were placed both here and in special burial chambers that more closely resembled Roman tombs of the time. Carvings and frescoes can be found here.
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.
Rome was sacked in the tenth century by invaders from the north, ransacking the catacombs. After this, they fell into disuse, and all the remaining relics moved above the ground. The catacombs of Rome were then forgotten until about the late sixteenth century.
Over the centuries the catacombs have been intermittently explored, though professional studies weren't published until the nineteenth century. These burial locations now act as an important monument to the early church, and are under the maintenance of the Vatican.
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