You may have heard about the catacombs of Rome. These ancient underground burial locations are near or under Rome itself. There are at least forty of them, and some have only been discovered in the past few decades.
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.
Though the land around Rome is too sparse for burials, its soft volcanic rock is easy to tunnel through - softer when air first touches it and much harder later. There are many kilometers of tunnels under the city, up to four layers deep in some places.
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.
Romans originally cremated their dead. However, at around the second century, it became popular to bury the burnt or unburnt remains of loved ones instead. In addition, Christians preferred this method, as burial was considered important for bodily resurrection.
The first large catacombs began in the second century, and were carved through the rock outside the city, due to laws forbidding the creation of burial places within the city limits. Initially, these locations were used for burial, memorials, and religious celebrations of the deaths of Christian martyrs, but not for ordinary 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.
With the rise of Christianity to a status as a state religion, the practice of burial in catacombs declined, though this did not happen right away. As the dead were buried increasingly in churchyards, the catacombs became used only to celebrate 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.
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.
Though the land around Rome is too sparse for burials, its soft volcanic rock is easy to tunnel through - softer when air first touches it and much harder later. There are many kilometers of tunnels under the city, up to four layers deep in some places.
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.
Romans originally cremated their dead. However, at around the second century, it became popular to bury the burnt or unburnt remains of loved ones instead. In addition, Christians preferred this method, as burial was considered important for bodily resurrection.
The first large catacombs began in the second century, and were carved through the rock outside the city, due to laws forbidding the creation of burial places within the city limits. Initially, these locations were used for burial, memorials, and religious celebrations of the deaths of Christian martyrs, but not for ordinary 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.
With the rise of Christianity to a status as a state religion, the practice of burial in catacombs declined, though this did not happen right away. As the dead were buried increasingly in churchyards, the catacombs became used only to celebrate 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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