Martyrs or Imperial Guard?

[Viggen]

When a sinkhole opened up after a pipe broke underneath the convent and school of the Instituto Sacra Famiglia on Rome's Via Casilina, the sisters there received a surprise--about 1,200 surprises, in fact. The partial collapse of the building's foundation revealed five large chambers in which the remains of more than a thousand individuals had been interred almost simultaneously sometime at the beginning of the third century A.D.

 

Perhaps equally surprising is the location in which they were found. The convent under which the burial chambers are located sits atop the vast catacomb complex of San Pietro and Marcellinus. With three distinct gallery levels, the deepest of which is 36 feet (11m) below the surface, it is one of the largest such burial complexes in the city.

 

But the newly discovered burial chambers pre-date the extensive catacomb complex, which was believed to have been used by Christians from the mid-third century A.D. with permission from the emperor Gallienus who was anxious to make peace with them after the savage persecution they suffered at the hands his father, Valerian. And although the famed archaeologist Giovanni Battista de Rossi explored and recorded the catacomb at the end of the nineteenth century, there is no indication that he ever even knew of the presence of these chambers.

 

full article at Archaeology.org

[Gaius Octavius]

Would a mosaic of Orpheus be in a Christian catacomb?

[Faustus]

Would a mosaic of Orpheus be in a Christian catacomb?

Good question Gaius.

If, as was likely, the mosaic of Orpheus was pre-existing then the question might rather be why didn't the Christians deface it? It is beautiful. Perhaps they appreciated fine art in spite of their reputation of intolerance towards everything pagan, or the better part of valor was to show tolerance at that moment in time: Quote: "the Carbon 14 evidence and coins found among the remains date the burials to a period of relative peace between the Christian community and the Imperial government."

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

Orpheus does appear rather frequently on early christian art, as is shown by a splendid sculpture shown at Athen's byzantine museum. The myth was thought as a good illustration of the union of all things under god ( animals coming to listen to Orpheus ) as well as a good representation of the possibility to come back from the after life...

[Maladict]

Orpheus does appear rather frequently on early christian art, as is shown by a splendid sculpture shown at Athen's byzantine museum. The myth was thought as a good illustration of the union of all things under god ( animals coming to listen to Orpheus ) as well as a good representation of the possibility to come back from the after life...

 

Indeed, it was one of the most popular forms of early Christian syncretism.

Not to mention a very apt choice for catacomb decorations.

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

 

Here is a picture I took from the sculpture in the byzantine museum of Athens I spoke of in my previous post. You'll find a bigger version of the picture in the dedicated picasa gallery ( cf. my signature ) under gallery title "Ath

Edited May 18, 2008 by Bryaxis Hecatee

[caldrail]

Would a mosaic of Orpheus be in a Christian catacomb?

 

Its known that some early christians also worshipped Sarapis. Although this seems hypocritical to christian belief, it should be remembered that christianity was not a unified movement in its early days, but a series of sects run by non-aligned bishops, with differences in what was taught to their flocks. Its also an interesting footnote that the male domainated clergy cam about because of roman culture. The earliest non-roman christians appear to have accepted feamle clergy as equals.

[Maladict]

By the way, I think the 'new discovery' mentioned in the article was actually made a few years ago.