Catacombs essays

Catacombs essays Underground burial was common practice among ancient Mediterranean cultures, and therefore archeologist find underground burial tunnels in Egypt, Greece and many other Mediterranean lands. Catacombs were mostly built for memorial services and internment of the dead"(Catacombs1). There were a lot of uses for catacombs such as burial, celebration of martyrs, and celebration of the deceased persons of each family. There were two types of people who used the catacombs as burial grounds for their dead. When Christianity was being preached in Rome by Peter and Paul, there already there already existed in the pagan and Jewish catacombs(History1) The Romans Catholics used cremation at first then switched over to the underground burial. Then the Christians followed shortly after the Roman Catholics. The Christians did not follow pagan customs because it involved cremation. The Christians preferred burial, just as Christ was. They felt they had to respect the bodies that one day would rise from the dead. Over the years there were as much as sixty catacombs found near and in Rome. There were approximately one million Christian tombs discovered alone. (History 1) The catacombs were originally made for burial. The main religious groups at that time that used them were the Roman Catholics and the Christians. The catacombs were also used rarely for refuge when they had battles or wars. The opposing forces did not want to invade the burial ground. It was thought to be very bad luck to disturb the dead. They were afraid the spirits of the dead would haunt them.They also used the catacombs for anniversaries of the martyrs and the other dead. Martyrs means somebody who chooses to die rather than deny religious or political beliefs. The catacombs were tunnels that expanded into smaller or larger tunnels or burial places. There were rooms for all the dea...