Image via WikipediaBy Eric Simon
The ancient Roman underground burial cemeteries in Rome, Italy are known as the Catacombs. They are most famous for Catholic burials; however, pagan and Jewish burials were also included. Some are placed in different Catacombs or kept mixed. In the second century they were excavated as a result of the overcrowding because of the scarcity of land in Rome. The excavating continued until the first half of the fifth century. As the need to bury persecuted Christians secretly evolved during that time, this method of burial came into existence. This gave rise to catacombs. Since the burial was to be hidden and secretly done, Romans chose their knowledge of geology and came to know that the volcanic rock was a soft Tufo under Rome, and was perfect for tunneling and hence the secret burials. It is less compact when exposed first time to the air and then hardens afterwards. Some of them have kilometers of tunnels, and some have even four stories of tunnels. As per the Christian community they opted to be together even in the "Sleep of death", because they felt a real community sense.
