1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that uncovers history one 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: day at a time. Today is made thirty one. The 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: day was made thirty one. The Roman catacombs were rediscovered 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: by accident. The origin of the term catacomb is unclear. 7 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: It was previously thought that the Roman catacombs were sandpits 8 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: or stone quarries. It was also once thought that Christians 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: used them as secret meeting places for worship, but this 10 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: was most likely not the case. The Roman catacombs date 11 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: back to the first century CE. Back then, Jewish people 12 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: in Rome used them as cemeteries, but by the next 13 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: century Christians were also using catacombs as burial tunnels. In 14 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: ancient Rome, bodies could not be buried within city limits. 15 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: Pagans cremated corpses, but Christians and Jewish people buried the dead. 16 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: At the time, Christians and Jewish people faced persecution in Rome, 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: where people worshiped an increasing number of deities, and Rome 18 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: was overpopulated and land was expensive, so they decided to 19 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: take their cemeteries underground. The catacombs were built into tufo, 20 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: which is a type of rock made from volcanic ash. 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: Because the tufoe is soft, the catacombs were relatively easy 22 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: to build. Lacula, or burial niches, were carved into walls 23 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: to accommodate bodies. During the second and third centuries, the 24 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: use of catacombs in Rome expanded. Some catacombs can be 25 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: traced back to individuals or private families, while others belonged 26 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: to churches. The Edict of Milan, passed in three thirteen 27 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: under Emperor Constantine the First and Emperor Licinius, granted religious 28 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: tolerance to Christians in the Roman Empire. It also established 29 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: that everybody had the right to worship the deities of 30 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: their choice, and in three eight Christianity became a state religion. 31 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: Some people still buried corpses in the underground chambers, but 32 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: burials eventually moved above ground, and by the fifth century 33 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: the use of catacombs as burial grounds had declined, but 34 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: they were still used as sites where people could go 35 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: for martyrs memorial services. Over the years, the catacombs were 36 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: subject to many lootings. The relics of Christian martyrs and 37 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: saints that remained were moved from the catacombs to city churches. 38 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: By the Middle Ages, the catacombs had been abandoned and 39 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: largely forgotten. But on May thirty one, fifty eight laborers 40 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: digging on the Via Salaria discovered and underground cemetery. Some 41 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: people recognized the importance of the find, but many dismissed 42 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: the discovery. Scholar Antonio Bosio realized the importance of the 43 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: discovery and in fifteen nine three began exploring the catacombs. 44 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: Bosio's book Describing the Catacombs Romance was published in sixty 45 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: two after his death. After the books publication, valuable items 46 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: were stolen out of the catacombs. Some of the catacombs 47 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: Bosio described have since been destroyed. Archaeologist Giovanni Battista de 48 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: Rossi did further research on the catacombs in the nineteenth 49 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: century and helped develop the field of Christian archaeology. Since 50 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: the catacombs are home to early Christian frescoes, they are 51 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: considered important in the study of art history. Some of 52 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: the catacombs in Rome are open to the public. I'm 53 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: Eves Jeff Coote, and hopefully you know a little more 54 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday, and if you 55 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: have any kind words you like to send us, or 56 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: any suggestions for future episodes, you can send them to 57 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: us at this day at i heeart media dot com. 58 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: You can also hit us up on social media where 59 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: at t d I HC podcast. Thanks so much for 60 00:03:55,280 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. Yeah. 61 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from i heeart Radio, visit the iHeart 62 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 63 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: favorite shows.