The Topography of the Catacombs of S. Callixtus in the Light of Recent Excavations Author(S): E

Home , Pope Mark, Pope Zephyrinus

The Topography of the Catacombs of S. Callixtus in the Light of Recent Excavations Author(s): E. R. Barker Source: The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 1 (1911), pp. 107-127 Published by: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/295852 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 19:20

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Roman Studies.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions J. R. S. vol. I (X911). PLATE XV.

.41 .,,

NO. I. THE CELESTIAL LADDER (p II2).

_B~~~~~~N. .CRST IHTE PSLS p 1)

rFromWIiloert's CCDie Malereiender KatakombenRoms," ed. Herder.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions R. S. vol. PLATE XVI. J. I ('9"i).

4-0~~~~~~~

4P, OR~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~iNt. 1,

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions J. R. S. vol. (I9ii). PLATE XVII.

F-

C,:

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions J. R. S. vol. I I1) PLATEXVIII.

_ b~~~~z c~~~~~~~~~~ I~~~~~~~~~~

_ n~~~~~~~~~ E _? _~~~~~~~~

:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALLIXTUS IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATIONS. (Plates XV-XVIII.)

By Miss E. R. BARKER. The excavations which have been in progress during the last ten years in the catacombs encircling Rome have added greatly to our knowledge of this vast area, and in some cases have compelled us to modify considerably our views concerning their topography. This has specially been the case in the cemetery of S. Callixtus, lying in the triangle formed by the Via Appia, Via Ardeatina, and Via Appio-Ardeatina at the apex of which stands the chapel of QUio Vadis (fig. ii). The earliest part of the cemetery is to be sought in the first- century crypts of Lucina (C in fig. ii), where the martyred pope Cornelius was laid to rest in 250. At the end of the second century the cemetery was taken over by the Church in the person of pope Zephyriniis (I97-2I5). Its administration was entrusted to his deacon Callixtus, who succeeded him as pope. This area was enlarged by Callixtus and subsequently bore his name. In the beautiful papal crypt (F in fig. i i) were buried, with four exceptions, all the popes of the third century. Here too is to be found the decorated crypt of S. Cecilia. Until the end of the fourth century fresh centres of cemeteries kept growing up, notably the catacomb dating from the persecution of Diocletian (284-305) in the neighbourhood of the basilica marked D in fig. II; 1 the district of S. Eusebius (E in fig. i I), Parthenius and Calocerus; the Liberian region of the fourth century, and others. Later on these were joined together by a network of galleries and form one vast necropolis, the whole of which is now known as S. Callixtus. From the fourth century to the seventh, pilgrims from all lands came to worship at the shrines of the martyrs, and the guide books, known as Itineraries, 2 compiled either by them, or, according to a recent idea, by the Roman clergy, belong to this period. From the eighth century to the seventeenth the catacombs, owing to suc- cessive waves of barbaric invasion, were, speaking generally, deserted, ruined and unknown. In I852 De Rossi and others after him, with the assistance of the

1 The name S. Soteris given to this district and 2 For text see De Rossi, Roma sotterranea, i, I8o, to the basilica at D has been abandoned by the or Scaglia, Notiones archaeologiae cbristianae, i, universal consent of modern archaeologists. See 443: cf. Schneider, Nuovo bullettino di archeologia Wilpert, Romische Quartalschrift, I90o. The cristiana, I909, 9Io0. position of the cemetery is discussed later.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Quo odis / C1hapel

S.SMarA M C, Mryptsof S te ry B i Solbirka S

5hrnI%1H ?- pr%5 Hj ~0 NeriI

FIG. II. PLAN INDICATING ROUGHLY THE AREAS OF S. CALLIXTUS (P. 107). Based on plans by Wilpert, Schneider,Scaglia and Marucchi. C, Crypts of Lucina with tomb of Cornelius. F, S. Callixtus, proper with papal crypt and shrine of S. Cecilia. E, Shrine of Eusebius and area of Parthenius and Calo- cerus. H, Arenarium of Hippolytus. W, Area of S. Soteris (?). L, Ruins. M, Basilica of S. Mark and S. Balbina (?). A, Crypt of the Apostles (? shrine of Damasus). B, Crypt of the Columns(? SS. Marcusand Marcellianus). P, Crypt of Laurentia's epitaph. S, Ancient stairs to A and B. G, Basilicacalled S. Sixtus and S. Cecilia (? S. Zephyrinus). D, Basilicacalled S. Soteris(? Basilicaof SS. Marcusand Mar- cellianus). ancientroad discoveredby Schneider(Nuovo bullettino, I9IO).

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS. I09 itineraries, the sixth century Liber Pontificalis, the martyrologies and similar documents, discovered the catacomb of S. Callixtus, and endeavoured to identify the various shrines and monuments which it contained. The wonderful manner in which this catacomb was discovered, and the story of the saints, confessors and martyrs buried there in shrines adorned with sculpture and fresco and inscription by generations of worshippers, need not be repeated here. All the areas mentioned above, and some others as well, have been identified beyond the possibility of doubt, and I think the same may be said of the cemetery just north of the Liberian region and close to the monastery of the Trappist Fathers who have charge of S. Callixtus (M in fig. iI). This cemetery has been identified with that of S. Mark and S. Balbina for the following, reasons. From the Liber Pontificalis1 and the itineraries we learn that pope Mlark (335-337) was buried in the cemetery of S. Balbina, in a basilica which he built for himself between the Via Appia and the Via Ardeatina, one and a half miles from the Aurelian wall. One itinerary describes the position as " Coemiterium Balbinae ad Marcum et Marcellianum." As the position of the grave of these two fellow martyrs of the Diocletian persecution is much disputed, it is important to identify the basilica of S. Mark. We know further that Mark made a cemetery there on a rose farm (fundus rosarius) puirchased from the emperor, and no doubt this cemetery, made by a great pope in the time of the Peace of the Church, covered a considerable area. When we try to identify the cemetery, we find that the distance of one and a half miles from the Aurelian wall brings us very near the modern Trappist monastery. Now in I640 the remains of a basilica were discovered at l1i in fig. I. In I745 Fonseca saw the ruins, and states that they had been ascribed to S. Mark from time immemorial.2 In I867 De Rossi had glimpses of a cemetery here, but the basilica had disappeared, and he followed Bosio in attributing it to S. Mark. 3 Further remains of the cemetery were discovered in 1902-I903. It was found to be partly built on earlier Roman remains, and the character of the cemetery and several dated inscriptions all show that it belongs to the period of pope Mark. The itineraries too record the visits to S. Mark and S. Balbina in such an order as would lead us to suppose that S. Mlark's basilica and cemetery were situated at and around M in fig. i I. The position of the cemetery of S. Soteris (W in fig. i i) has recently been worked out from the itineraries in an admirable article by Wittig, 4 though the actual shrine of S. Soteris is unknown. It

I Liber Pontificalis, Ed. Duchesne, i, 202; ii arch. crist. I867: cf. Wilpert, Rbmische Quartal- 147. schrift, 1901, 32; Marucchi, Roma sotterranea, 2 Fonseca, De basilica S. Laureniii in Damnaso, Domitilla, 54. 59, Fano, I745- 4 Rdm. Quartalschrift, 1905: cf. Marchi, Monu- 3 Roma sotterranea, i, z65 ; iii, 8: Bullettino di menti dell' arte cristiana primitiva, ZZ7.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions CNJ

\71 x

FIG. 12. PLAN OF THE CRYPT OF THE COLUMNS AND THE CRYPT OF THE APOSTLES (P. 112).

From Wilpert, R6mischeQuartalschri/t, 1908, 14.3. A, Crypt of the Apostles: (i) Arcosolijumgrave (? Irene's shrine) ; (z) Forma (? Damasus' grave) ; (3) Forma (? Laurentia's, grave);- (4), (i), (6), (8) Formae; (7), Trisomus. B, Crypt of the Columns:() Bis'omus; (2), (4), (6), (7) Formae; (3) Place of tomb of Marcus and Marcellianus (?) (), Bisomus, with epitaphs. P, Cubicle of Laurentia's, imprinted epitaph. X, Gallery.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS. III is a little cemetery of the fourth century without decorations, isolated both from the neighbouring cemeteries of S. Lucina and the crypt of Cornelius, lying slightly north of the latter, on the Via Appia. De Rossi saw some stairs leading down into it, which have now been covered over, and some ruins of a small building which may be a shelter, or little portico (tegumen cemeterii)-l to protect the tombs and perhaps mentioned in the Liber Pontificalis, where we read that it was restored by Stephen II (752-757). There is a great diversity of opinion as to the identification of the remaining monuments hitherto discovered in S. Callixtus. The literary records tell us that somewhere in this cemetery were the basilicas of S. Damasus, of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus, and of pope Zephyrinus, one of the four popes of the third century who was not buried actually in the papal crypt. We also read in the apocryphal acts of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus2 that they were buried " on the Via Appia at the second milestone from the city in a place called Ad Arenas because here were the sandpits (cryptae arenarum) which afforded material for the construction of the city walls." This of course refers to their original burial place, from which they must have been translated to the basilica where the pilgrims visited their shrine. The precise position of the basilicas of S. Damasus and of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus is described for us in the Liber Pontificalis, and in six itineraries, three of which are very detailed. 3 There appear to be no contradictions in these diverse authorities, though naturally there are points omitted in all of them. We gather that the shrines of S. Damasus and of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus were close together on the Via Ardeatina, and near the tomb of SS. Nereus and Achilleus in Domitilla ; that S. Damasus was buried beside his mother and sister in a church (ecclesia and basilica) built by himself, and that in another church " (ecclesia) are SS. Marcus and IM'Iar- cellianus "sursum sub magno altare. Deinde descendes per gradus ad SS. martyres Nereum et Achilleum." One other shrine is mentioned in the itineraries, namely the coemeteriumBasilei, probably lying north of S. Mark and S. Balbina, but it has not yet been excavated. With regard to the interpretation of these records both Wilpert and Marucchi4 agree in placing the two shrines of S. Damasus and of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus on the east side of the Via Ardeatina,

' Lib. Pont. i, 444, 447: cf. De Rossi, Roma 3 The Itinerarium Salisburgense (625-638) is the sotterranea, iii, 29, and Dufresne, Glossariummediae fullest. et infimae Latinitatis, 1887. 4 Wilpert, Rom. Quartalschrift, 190I ; Scaglia, 2 Passio S. Sebastiani, 28th Jan. in Acta 88. Notiones arch. christ. i, i, 27, note. De Rossi Jan. ii, 629; cf. Acta SS. 18th June, iv, 468. The (Roma sotterr. i, 259; Bull. di. arch. crist. 1877, martyrologies mention the Via Ardeatina as their 1879, o88o), and Marchi (Monum. dell' arte crist. resting place, referring to the basilica, built prim. 227) placed these shrines on the west of the later in their honour. Via Ardeatina.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions II2 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS forming part of S. Callixtus and not of Domitilla, which lies on the west side of the road. Let us now turn to the many recent discoveries in this area for possible light on the identification of the monuments mentioned in the literary records. Of monuments not yet identified with certainty we have (i) the famous Crypt of the Columns and the Crypt of the Apostles, (A, B, figs. i i and I2), discovered by the Trappist Fathers and excavatedunder Wilpert's direction in I902-I903 ; (2) the basilica at G in fig. I (cf. figs. I4 and I5), more adequately excavated in I908- I909, known as S. Sixtus and S. Cecilia, although neither of them were buried here ; (3) the basilica at D in fig. i i (cf. fig. i6) wrongly attri- buted, as we have seen, to S. Soteris, and excavated adequately in I908-I909. Let us consider the new discoveries in detail. The abbot Domenico was digging in the monastery garden (B in fig. ii) when he came upon the vault of an arch adorned with ruined frescoes1 (fig. I2, B2, and plate xv, no. i). A bust of Christ in a circle could be discerned, and on the left, standing on a serpent, a ladder, by which a figure wearing the tunic and pallium is mounting towards our Lord, while some great ears of wheat appear to be growing out of the ground. No doubt a similar representation was painted on the right-hand side of the figure. The key to the interpretation is to be found in the authentic Acts of S. Perpetua2 in the passage relating to her vision. Video scalam aream mirae magnitudinis pertingentem usque ad caelum et angustam per quam nonnisi singuli ascenderepossent.... Et erat sub ipsa scala draco cubans mirae magnitudinisqui ascendentibusinsidias praestabat et exterrebat ne ascenderent. Ascendit autem Saturusprior ... et pervenit in caput scalaeet convertit se et dixit mihi: Perpetua, sustineo te: sed videat ne te mordat draco ille. Et dixi: Non me nocebit in nomine Jesu Christi: et desub ipsa scala quasi timens me lente ejecit caput et ascendi. The vision concludes with a description of the peace of Paradise. The signification of the wheat is probably eucharistic. This discovery led to the complete excavation in I902 of the beautiful Crypt of the Columns 3 (plate xvi). The crypt, quadrangular on plan with vaulted ceiling, was originally covered with marble, while marble- cased pillars once stood at the four corners: two of these are still in

I Wilpert, Le pitture delle catacombe Romane, [tranis. from German]; Scaglia, I cemiteri dei p. 445, pl. 153. Reference is here made to the SS. Marco et Marcelliano e di Papa Damaso, 19 o0; Italian edition of Wilpert's great work, Die Maler- Osservazioni sopra i recenti studi intorno ai eien der Katakomben Roms. cemiteri di Marco e AMarcellianoe di Papa Damaso 2 Passio SS. Perpetuiaeet Felicitatis, ed. Franchi, in Rivista di Scienze Storiche, and Bonavenia in the I00: cf. Aub6, Polyeucte dans l'bistoire, 77. same Review, 909; Marucchi, Domitilla, 42; 3 For a full discussion as to the identification of Esame de un opuscolodi G. Wilpert; Nuov. Bull. the Crypt of the Columns and the Crypt of the 1905, 192; 1908. 157; I909, 22I; and cf. 1903, Apostles as the burial places of SS. Marcus and 59; Delehaye, in Analecta Bollandiana, xxix. Marcellianus, and of S. Damasus respectively, see For illustrations see also Wilpert, Le pitture delle Wilpert, Rom. Quart. 1908, 124; cf. 1901, 32; CatacombeRomane, plates Z14-z16. The plate re- Nuovo bullettino di arch. crist. 1903, 43- La produced in this Journal shows the grave at B 3 Cripta dei Papi e la catbel1a de S. Cecilia, [910 in fig. Iz.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATIONS. I I 3 position at the entrance side. There are three niches at I, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in fig. I2, B. At B 3 are four blocks of marble which may possibly have formed the base of an altar, and some ruins of a mensa oleorum. In the floor to the left of the entrancei s a bisomus (B I in fig. I2) covered by three quarters of the original lid, without inscription. There are three more /ormae and on the fifth, a bisomus (5), were fragments of a large marble slab bearing two inscriptions; one dedicated by a mother to her son of I 3, Claudius Gargilius, a neophyte, and the other erected by a husband to his wife Marcia. They are as follows: i. *clau(?) DIVS *GARG *NOM Simplicius (?) qui vixit a XIII M IIII D ID P NONI OCT MATR V.... Marcia FEC Fl LIO DVLCISSI MO Dilectissi mO NOF ITO

2. V .... E MARCIE DOmine coniVGI IN pace (?) que vixit annos S lI FVIT CVM MARITO annos . menses . .. et deposiTA EST VIII IDVS OCTOBRES Another inscription found quite near this cubicle states that Alexius, reader of (the parish of) Fullonica, was worthy to rest with the saints. DILECTISSIMO MARITO ANIME DVLCISSIME ALEXIO LECTORI DE FVLLON ICES QVI VIXIT MECVM * ANN XV- IVNCTVS MIHI ANN XVI VIRGO ADVIRGINE CVIVS NVMQVAM AMARITVDINEM HBVI CESQVE IN PACE CVM SANCTIS CVM QVOS MERERIS DEP VIII XKALvIANV Further inscriptions were found to Amantia, a child, and to the virgin Antonia Cvriaca who died the fourth day after baptism. A little chamber J) adjoining is full of loculi and lormae. The crypt is adorned with many of the frescoes so common in the catacombs: Moses striking the rock, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, the sacrifice of Abraham, typifying respectively Baptism, the Eucharist and the Crucifixion, and a rarer subject, (on the right side of the wall at B z) which may represent Moses taking off his sandals before the burning bush. I On the back of this same wall can be discerned the small figure of a womnanin patrician dress. Evidently on either side of her once stood two much larger figures, but of these only the feet remain.

1 Wilpert, op. cit. pl. zi6.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 114 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS

Wilpert believes this crypt to be the shrine of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus, where they lay prior to -their translation to the basilica on the Via Ardeatina, at present unidentified, and holds that they lay in a sarcophagus in B 3. 1 He thinks that the fresco with the ladder represented, when entire, the two martyrs mounting to our Lord: that the ruined fresco of the three figures together represented the donor of the tomb between the two martyrs, and that the reference in Alexius' epitaph to " resting with the saints " is an allusion to SS. Marcus and Marcellianus. He also notes the fact that a Marcia is certainly buried here, and that Marcia is the name of the saints' mother, according to their Acts, and conjectures that lorma 2 may be the grave of the donor of the tomb. All this amounts to little more than an ingenious and possibly correct hypothesis. Marucchi believes, equally hypothetically, that the brothers were buried somewhere in the cemetery of the period of Diocletian (under whom they suffered) which lies around the little basilica formerly known as S. Soteris (D in fig. II). 2 We shall see presently that he believes, with considerable reason, that this basilica is the final resting place of the martyrs. Marucchi's hypothesis, however, as to the original burial place ignores the evidence of the Acts which record the burial of the martyrs near the sandpits of the Via Appia. The Acts are often surprisingly accurate in topographical details, and surely this fifth-century writer must have known the position of a famous shrine. Wilpert makes a further supposition. He says the martyrs were translated to the Crypt of the Columns from an earlier burial place, i.e. from the grave Ad Arenas referred to in the Acts, because the fine crypt B could never have been constructed in a time of persecution and must therefore belong to the time of the Peace, and that the martyrs were translated here at this period. Such a translation from a primitive grave to the Crypt of the Columns is purely hypothetical and, if a necessity, would seem an argument against Wilpert's identification of the Crypt of the Columns. The Acts which tell of the burial place first are of the fifth century, and they represent the saints as still lying near the sandpits at that date. It is difficult to see how, granting a translation which must have been posterior to this date, the Crypt of the Columns, with its earlv fourth-century frescoes, could be the grave of these martyrs. Wilpert does not suggest the simple solution, no doubt

I Wilpert has abandoned his original idea that in honour of these two martyrs and their many the saints lay in the bisomus at B I (a theory strenu- associates, even if they were not actually buried ously combated by Marucchi). here; Nuovo Bulletino, I905, 213. Three of the 2 Marucchi draws attention to a crypt near saints, however, are women, and though many this basilica, discovered in 1896, but actually in women, according to the Acts, were converted on Domitilla, which contains a fresco representing this occasion, only one, Zoe, suffered martyrdom. six saints receiving crowns from our Lord. (See On these points, however, the Acts are practically Wilpert, op. cit. pl. I25). He thinks it may be valueless.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATION. I I5 for some good reason, but there is no obvious difficulty in believing that the position of the Crypt of the Columns might be described as " at the sandpits," and that we have here the only place of burial of the martyrs prior to their translation to their basilica, and that this obscure grave was decorated in their honour in the fourth century. It is true that this crypt scarcely lies on the Via Appia, being midway between that road and the Via Ardeatina, but the sandpits were on the Via Appia, and possibly the shrine could be approached from that side by the sandpits, though the. normal entrance was by the stairs from the opposite side (S in fig. i i). Marucchi holds that Wilpert's identification is purely conjec- tural, but grants that it may be correct, and if so, the saints lay in a sarcophagus at B 3 in fig. I2, where is the mensaoleorum. 1 He hazards a conjecture, however, that possibly we have here the hithertQ unidentified shrine of the Greek martyrs mentioned in the itineraries and eulogised in Damasus' epigram in the papal crypt: "Hic confessores sancti quos Graecia misit." 2 The topographical indications are in harmony with this hypothesis, and the crypt seems quite suitable for such a purpose. Continuing investigations down the gallery (X in fig. I2) the excavators suddenly found themselves in the Crypt of the Apostles (A in figs. i i and I2). This was already known, but it was choked with debris and its existence had been almost for- gotten. Later excavation revealed the ancient stairway (S in fig. ii) FIG. 13. giving access to this area of the FRAGMENT OF LAURENTIA'S EPITAPH. cemetery. The crypt had once been covered with marble, and is adorned with the fourth-century fresco from which it is named, representing our Lord in the midst of the apostles, seated in a semicircle 3 (plate xv, no. 2) There is an arcosolium grave (i), seven formae, one of which is a locus trisomus (7), and two niches for sarcophagi (f, m). Much debris was found here, including carvings an(d fragmentary inscriptions, two dating from 340 and 362 respectively, and one minute piece found to be of the highest importance as forming part of the inscription made by Damasus in honour of his mother Laurentia (fig. 13.) Further light wvascast on this fragment by a fresh discovery. In one of the cubicles (P in figs. ii and I2) beneath a large lucernarium, two metres below the soil, were some broken fragments of a pagan sarcophaguswith a lid of the christian era, now in the Vatican.

1 Wilpert, as we have seen, has changed his 2 Darnasi Epigrammata, Ihm, I2z 7; cf. 78, 3, 4. opinion as to the actual grave, and now believes it 3 Wilpert, op. cit. zz6, 230, pl. 177. to have been at B 3.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions I I6 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS

Among these pieces were three large blocks of travertine : one had been covered with cement, and imprinted on it was nearly the whole inscription written by Damasus to his mother Laurentia. The imprint had been made at some time or another by the application of the original inscription to the block, or vice-versa. On the reverse side of the block is a groove and a rectangular hole, which suggests that it had been used as the base for a cancellus and its supporting pillar. A fragment of a pierced cancellus and the holes in the wall where the architrave was inserted, are actually to be seen in position in the Crypt of the Apostles. We may therefore assume that the block of travertine came from here. The imprinted inscription, which is not in the beautiful Philocalan characters used by Damasus when pope, runs as follows: HIC DAMASI MATER POSVIT LAUREntia membra QVAE FVIT IN TERRIS CENTUM MINUS octo per annos SEXAGINTA DEO VIXIT POST FOEdera sancta PROGENIE QVARTA VIDIT QVAE laeta nepotes.1 The precise meaning of this epitaph, and the facts concerning the family of Damasus are still a subject of discussion.2 The most probable meaning is that Laurentia died at 92 (or 89), that she lived unmarried for 6o years after the death of her husband, and that she saw her descendants to the fourth generation. We know from other sources that her husband died in 307, and that she had a daughter Irene who either died at 20 or took vows of virginity. Wilpert argues that since the imprinted block came from the Crypt of the Apostles, it can only have been imprinted by the application of one side to the inscribed lid covering the grave of Laurentia, and that since the block was used as a base for a cancellus, Laurentia's grave lay under the cancellus, i.e. at A 3 on fig. I2. Damasus was buried beside (juxta) his mother and sister, and Wilpert would place the tomb of Damasus at A 2, and of Irene, his sister, in the arcosolium (i). The graves identified as those of Laurentia and Damasus lay one metre beneath the floor, and the space between the floor and top of the grave was filled up with rubble. The existence, too, of a trisomus (7) here recalls an inscription found by Marini in the eighteenth century, mentioning the locus trisomus of a certain Victor buried " in the crypt of Damasus." 3 The crypt was roughly treated in later days. Not only was the inscription of Laurentia covered over by the base of the cancellus (if we accept Wilpert's identification) but the walls

1 The exigencies of the verse only permit of a Bullettino di arch. crist. i888-1889, and Duchesne, imited choice in the words supplied. Other Lib. Pont. i, 215. slightly different readings have been suggested, 3 Marini found it " apud sacristiam pontificis " without much change in the sense. Wilpert reads and attributes it to the " coemeterium S. Sebas- undecim annos in the second line. tiani," which was sometimes imagined to be in the 2Marucchi in Nuovo Bullettino, 1903, 59, 100. area occupied by S. Callixtus. The inscription Wilpert in Rom. Quartalschrift, I908: cf. De Rossi, runs; " locus trisomus victoris in cruta Damasi."

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATION. 117 have been pierced to make two niches for sarcophagi, and for twenty loculi. There seems here before us adequate evidence for identifying this crypt as that of Damasus, though the position is perhaps scarcely near enough to the Via Ardeatina and to the shrines of Nereus and Achilleus to be entirely in harmony with the itineraries and the Liber Pontificalis. There are nevertheless some difficulties in the way of this identification, and Marucchi's arguments against it must be considered. We cannot enter into all of them here: the main point turns on the statement in the Liber Pontificalis that Damasus built a basilica for himself and his mother and sister on the Via Ardeatina. It is very dubious if the word " basilica " can apply to an underground building, while the itineraries imply that it was above ground. It is also to be noted that the practice of the Liber Pontificalis is to mention buildings erected during the pontificate of the builder, and in the case of Felix II (355-358),' who built a basilica while simply a priest, the fact is mentioned. Again the Crypt of the Apostles is, as Wilpert agrees, earlier than the papacy of Damasus. Wilpert replies that, on this occasion, the Liber Pontificalis may have made an exception, and that Damasus, as deacon, prepared this Crypt of the Apostles, which can properly be called a basilica: if he were not yet pope when he built it, and when his mother and sister died, this would explain a difficulty, namely, the fact that neither the inscriptions of Laurentia, nor of Irene (which has been found elsewhere), are in the beautiful Philocalan characters usually -employed by Damasus after he became pope. It is difficult, however, to credit that Laurentia, who lived to her eighty-ninth or ninety- second year, did not survive to see her son pope in 366. Further, if Damasus built an open-air basilica, the term Crypt of Victor could well apply either to a confession, or possibly to some actual adjacent crypt belonging to Damasus or his family, or to any underground gallery. A knowledge of the precise use of the words " basilica " and " cruta," and of the dates of the life of Damasus, and above all further excavations may settle a point which is hotly disputed. On the first two questions the protagonists disagree. So much for the objections based on the difficulties of reconciling this identification with the reliable literary evidence. The remaining objections deal with the monument itself. It is important first to realise to what an enormous extent inscriptions, columns and such like were removed from their original positions during a thousand years and more of devastation and excavation for the sake of material, and the manner in which dehris from above ground was swept down

I Lib. Pont. i, 2T.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions II8 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS through the lucernaria. Considering this point, Marucchi points out that the great imprinted block might well have fallen down the lucernarium and not belong here at all, and hence have received its imprint from the original inscription elsewhere, and that con- sequently the original inscription did not necessarily belong to this crypt, and that the presence of a fragment of it, out of position, proves nothing.

Tile Wall &3osallWadll

From Wilpert's " Die Papstgriber," ed. Herder.

FIG. 14. PLAN OF BASILICA G (p. II8).

Marucchi further points out that the actual identification of the tombs by Wilpert is improbable. Why put the sister Irene in the arcosolium, in the place of honour ? Finally he suggests that this underground crypt is in no way worthy of a pope famous for his magnificence. In looking at both points of view, Wilpert's case appears to be very strong, and the coincidence of the presence both of a portion of the original inscription and of the imprint of the entire inscription carries weight. At the same time the literary evidence is against his identification. The second of the monuments unidentified is the basilica at G in

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATION. II9 fig. I 1 (cf. figs. 14 and I5), called S. Sixtus and S. Cecilia. De Rossi, 2 followed b) Marucchi, believed that an earlier basilica stood here. Wilpert, on the contrary, maintains that the basalt foundations could. only have been made with a view to strengthening it on account of the fourth-century galleries made beneath it, and that therefore the fourth-century building we have is the original one. It is just outside the area known in the third century as S. Callixtus. Long used as an outhouse, it has served latterly as a museum of catacomb treasures. Excavations in I909, undertaken by the Trappist Fathers and by Wilpert, have yielded important results. The floor was taken up, and, set along the walls of the central apse were three format In the centre of the apse (at M in fig. I4), set into the basalt wall, were found considerable remains of a sarcophagus, two metres below the present level of the pavement. There is no trace of an altar

From Wilpert's " Die Papstgriber," ed. Herder.

FIG. 15. APSE OF BASILICA G (P. i i 8). in the centre of the basilica, so that it may have been over this tomb. Quite near and certainly belonging to it was a large fragment of the lid, carved with the earliest known representation of our Lord saving S. Peter walking on the waves3 (plate xvii). It is of the fourth century. The figure of our Lord is at the extreme left, stretching out the right hand to S. Peter who is sinking in the waves. He is represented, according to the usual type, as young and beardless, with flowing locks. S. Peter is fully robed, and wears a deep girdle. To the right is a ship: in the stern sits a man, with bald head and lined

1 Wilpert, Ram. Quartalscbrift, I908; and La 2Roma Sotterr.iii, 469. Cripta dei Papi, 93; Marucchi, Nuovo Bulkttino 3 A subject frequently referred to by early 1908, 19i0; and Roma Sotterr. Nuovo Serie, christian poets, cf. Wilpert, op. cit. and also Domitilla; Wittig, R-om. Qtartatscbrift, i9o5 Milangesd'arcbiologie et d'bistoire,I906, 224. (agreeing with Marucchi); Duchesne, Lib. Pont. i, 140, nf 4.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 120 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS face, recalling some of the best examples of realistic Roman por- traiture. He appears to be holding a roll in his left hand. 1 Facing this seated figure at the other end of the boat is a man, naked above the waist, with an oar in his right hand. Another man is crouching in the middle, covering his face with his hand. The curled waves, with dolphins' heads appearing between, are very decorative. There were also found some unimportant fragments of inscriptions and carvings, among the latter a charming little piece representing the Good Shepherd. Even before the recent excavations out of the three basilicas mentioned in the literary records, namely, S. Damasus, SS. Marcus and Marcellianus, and S. Zephyrinus, Marucchi followed De Rossi2 in conjecturing that in the basilica G in fig. ii we had the shrine of Zephyrinus (198-217). Of this pope we read that he was buried " in cymiterio suo iuxta cymiterium S. Callixti in Via Appia." 3 He was, in fact, the first pope to forsake the old burial-place of the Vatican, and he created and decorated with the famous frescoes of the Sacraments that cemetery which he handed over to the charge of his deacon Callixtus, who succeeded him as pope and gave his name to this little area at whose centre is the papal crypt and tomb of S. Cecilia (F fig. II).4 Of the itineraries, all of which agree, we will quote the fullest account. After mentioning the V-isitto the papal crypt on the Via Appia Ad Caeciliam the writer continues: S. Caecilia,virgo et martyr, lxxx martyresibi requiescuntdeorsum. Geferinus papa et confessorsursum quiescit. Eusebiuspapa 'et martyr longe in antro requiescit, Corneliuspapa et martyrlonge in antro altero requiescit. Postea perveniesad S. virginem Soteremet martyrem. In interpreting these itineraries it is important to remember that the pilgrims visited a few definite shrines, and that they descended and ascended by regular stairs, the space between the shrine being traversed above ground. A glance at the plan (fig. i) will show clearly the position of all these shrines except that of Zephyrinus, which is in question. The literary evidence makesit clear that Zephyrinus lay above ground, and in very close connexion, as might also be conjectured from historic probability, with the papal crypt Ad Caeciliam, also that his shrine was nearer this crypt than was the grave of S. Eusebius or S. Cornelius. When we look at the monumental evidence, we find two ancient stairs by which the pilgrims could leave the papal crypt both a little to the east of that crypt, and coming out a little to the right of the natural entrance to basilica G. If we imagine Zephyrinus to lie

1 Wilpert says he carries an oar: but the man 3 Duchesne, Lib. Pont. i, 139. appears to be facing the wrong way. 4Philosophumena, ix, I2. 2 Roma Sotterr. ii, 32 and 50.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATION. 121 in basilica G, it would be entirely in harmony with the natural path taken by the pilgrims. Taking into consideration the new discoveries, the sarcophagus at M in fig. 14 would be a most appro- priate tomb for a great pope, and in harmony too is the symbolism on the lid. The itineraries associate another saint with the burial place of Zephyrinus, namely S. Tarsicius "Et ibi [i.e. near the papal crvpt and S. Cecilia] S. Tarsicius et S. Geferinus in uno tumulo jacent."' The boy Tarsicius, 2 probablv either a deacon or an acolyte, is

m Wa//of Vorious materials

? ;~ * i2 ' ;~ Metres. From Wilpert's "Die Papstgraber," ed. Herder.

FIG. i6. PLAN OF BASILICA D (p. IZZ). connected in his life with pope Stephen. He was martyred about 259 on the Via Appia for refusing to give up the eucharist which he was bearing. Considering the date of his death it is difficult to see how he could have lain actually in the same grave as Zephyrinus; a practice moreover rare except in the case of brothers or fellow

Cf. Martyrologium Romanum, I5th August, Lambert, Etude sur St. Tarsicius, I890. Damasus. " Tarsicius . . . in cimiterio S. Callixti." in his epitaph on Tarsicius (Ihm, I4) compares 2 There is some doubt as to the facts of the life him to the proto-martyr and deacon S. Stephen. of S. Tarsicius, but the date of his death seems He makes no reference to Zephyrinus. It seems fairly well established. Wilpert quotes from an likely he would have done so if, at that period, they unpublished work on the subject by Pio Franchi lay in the same grave. dei Cavalieri. I have not been able to obtain J. M.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 122 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS martyrs. In the light of the new discoveries, Marucchi suggests that his sarcophagus, at some unknown date prior to the visit of the pilgrims, might have been placed above that of S. Zephyrinus, for which there is ample space owing to the great depth of the pope's coffin. Before examining Wilpert's view of this identification, we must consider the new discoveries in the basilica at D in figs. ii and i6, which throw light on this question.' The basilica was long familiar as that of S. Soteris, but, as we hav-e seen, the cemetery of that saint was at W in fig. ii. The basilica is of the third or fourth century, and it may possiblv have been restored after the Diocletian persecution. In the six- teenth century it had been turned into a two-storied house, flagged with basalt, and supported by a central pillar. In I908-I909 the Trappist Fathers cleared awvayall these additions, and removed the flooring. At N in fig. i6 was discovered a large bisomus once lined with marble, 2 70 by 2 metres, oblique to the axis of the church and therefore of later date. The base of the coffin lay I5 metres below the level of the pavement. There was once a lower marble lid, half a metre below the pavement, and another on a level with it: between was once rubble, as in the formae supposed to be those of Laurentia and Damasus. At a later date was made, in masonry, the " confession " with double " cataracts," or holes through which were let down cloths or other objects to touch the bodies of the saints. The window of the confession is at the narrow end of the tomb. There is now no trace of the open-work marble plate which probably separatedt the cataracts. Some fragments of mosaic decoration have been found. Other graves lie round the bisomus. A portion of a lattice-work marble transenna has been found. Greek crosses2 are carved on the intersections of the laths, at- tributed by Wilpert to the sixth century. Marucchi compares them to certain crosses occurring in works known to be by pope John VII (705-707) in S. Maria Antiqua, also in a chapel in the Vatican and on certain bricks: he asserts that the crosses in our basilica are identical with these and that since this pope is known to have executed repairs in the cemetery of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus, 3 we have here the shrine of those saints. The resemblance between the crosses is not very apparent: in fact some of pope John's crosses are clearly Latin crosses, and surely at this period Greek crosses as a motive of decoration are too common for any argument to be based upon them. The monumental evidence makes it clear that some veenerated saints lay in the bisomus. Of the three basilica shrines mentioned I Wilpert, R-m. Quartalscbrift, I908; La Cripta 2 See Grisar, Roma alla fine del mondo antico, dei Papi, IS and I05; Marucchi, Nuovo Bullettino, 539-54I; and other bibliography quoted on this 1908. basilica. 3 Lib. Pont. i, 385.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATION. 123 in the itineraries, Marucchi identifies our basilica, as we have seen, with that of SS. Mlarcusand Marcellianus, and he has some stronger evidence than that of the crosses. In spite of the difficulties of the oblique position, an altar could be conceived of as standing over it, which would harmonise with the account in the itineraries, of the brothers lying " under a great altar." MLarucchiobserves that the cemetery underneath belongs to the period of Diocletian, when the brothers perished, and the occurrence of a bisomus con- taining saints was sufficiently rare, as were large altar tombs. This position on the Via Ardeatina would again be in perfect harmony with the account in the itineraries. Marucchi himself confesses that his identification is hypothetical, but it is certainly supported by the few facts at present known. 1 If this is correct, we must look for the basilica shrine of Damasus a little to the north, judging from the itineraries ; further excavations may bring something to light, meanwhile we may note that in this catacomb have been found inscriptions from tombs of the Flori Florentii, probably kinsmen of Damasus.2 Wilpert identifies these tombs differently and assigns basilica D to S. Zephyrinus and S. Tarsicius, leaving G unidentified. It appears somewhat unlikely that a basilica with a fine tomb cannot be identified with some one of the three shrines of the itineraries, and this seems to militate against Wilpert's argument. Wilpert's objection to Marucchi's identification of G is, as we have seen, that the fourth-century basilica, as we have it, is the original (a point disputed by Dc Rossi and Marucchi), and that the sarcophagus sculptures are of the fourth century (to which Marucchi replies that they may have been a subsequent adornment). The main objection to Wilpert's identification of the newly- discovered bisomus in D as the grave of S. Zephyrinus and S. Tarsicius is topographical. We have already seen how close is the connexion, both historical and topographical, between the shrine of Zephvrinus, wherever it is, and the papal crypt, so the actual position of D would seem impossible, on account of its distance from that crypt. 3 As to the ascription of the bisomus in D to Zephyrinus and Tarsicius, Marucchi pointed out, as we have seen, that considering the dates, it is inconceivable that Zephyrinus would have made a bisomus forhimself and Tarsicius, but quite credible that the sarcophagus of Tarsicius should have been laid, at some unknown date, on the top of that of Zephyrinus at M in basilica G. Wilpert is here in agreement with Marucchi, that if, as usually believed,

1 Previous to the new excavations Marucchi 3Wilpert's contention that the juxta of the thought this might be the basilica of Damasus, see itinerary cannot mean a position so near the papal Nuovo Bullettino, 1905 ; Roma Sotterr. nuovo serie, crypt as that of basilica G seems contrary to the Domitilla, 5I, n. sense of the Latin. 2 NuovoBullettino, 1903, 500.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 124 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS

Tarsicius died forty years after Zephyrinus, they could not have been buried in the same grave at the time, but that after the devas- tations of the Goths' and the subsequentrepairs in the cemeteries, very many tombs would be found out of their original position, and the two might have been buried in the bisomusin D. He holds that the bisomusis contemporarywith the basilica,is crookedthrough sheer inaccuracy on the part of the builders, but that its oblique position renders it impossible for an altar to have stood over it; and that therefore this cannot be the shrine of the martyrsunder a great altar which the pilgrims describe. Marucchi, justly it seems, assertsthat an altar could and did stand here, and that the bisomus was made after the building of the basilica, and obliquely in order to avoid disturbing other graves. The probabilities in this case seem to lie in Marucchi'sidentification. In the years I909-I9IO excavationswere also undertakenin and around the crypt of S. Cecilia, adjacent to the papal crypt. These have yielded most important results.2 The floor was removed, the /ormaewere explored, and an ancient shaft (pozzo) was dug out to a depth of I4 metres. A large number of inscriptions were found, and fragmentsof architecture and sculpture, including a lovely little fragment of a Good Shepherd of the familiar early type. It will be remembered that De Rossi published two in- scriptionscut on a thick marble slab closing a forma in front of the niche where S. Cecilia once lay. 3 The first of these was dedicated to a certain Fronto, the other to a lady Petilia. Five more fragments of this inscription have been discovered, by which we are able to correct and conjecturally complete the inscription, save for the date of Petilia's death and her age. The slab is further adorned with a small figure of Jonah beneath a gourd, and a dove with an olive branch, the latter admirably drawn. The entire inscription now reads: (IPONT N dove CEHlTIMIOC4IIPAt-re-rATOSA JKtvitovo figure with OAOYAOCTOY OeovAlJWC/Iwoa9 of olive OYMETENOHCA*KANWAECOlYIIEPC(THCO Jonah KAIEYKApicrrHC(x)T O)ONOMATICOYrIAPEOOIKa THNtYX1WTerOEO TPIANTATPI WNET WN Ka1IE`MHNWN HETEI1AtaXvKa(?)A1A11 AAMIIPOTATH ET7 cxovca . (?)nAPEAlWKE fIPO * KaXavAAWNvoEMBPI WN

ILib. Pont. i, 291, illustrations and plans [The German version, Die 2 Wilpert, La Cripta dei Papi, 19IO, especially Papstgraber, igog, is the original work]. p. 50 with further bibliography and excellent 3 Roma Sotterr. ii, tav. xxxv, z, p. I i6; Bul- lettino, 1872, 48.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATIONS. 125

Septimius Fronto Praetextatus Licinianus, the servant of God: having lived worthily I did not repent of having thus served Thee and I will bless Thy Name. I yielded up my spirit to God at thirty-three years and six months. Petilia [Leuca] dia, of senatorialrank (:=femina clarissima)gave up her spirit-(?) days before November Ist, aged (?)

The letters are carelessly formed, and there are several mistakes; the date appears to be of the third or fourth century. At the bottom of one of the graves was found a large slab of marble, much worn by the damp. On it was inscribed: CKNtP the end of an inscription, 7rCKK(onrosq) M (ap)T (v)P

Wilpert at once perceived that this must be a portion of a missing papal inscription, and as Pontianus is the only martyred pope of the period whose inscription is missing, it appeared that this must be his epitaph. He is known to have been buiried in the papal crypt, and his name appears among the pilgrims' graffiti on the walls. Two days later, at a depth of 8 metres down the shaft mentioned above two marble fragments, in good condition, were discovered: pieced together they bore the word lIONTIANOCEfIl (plate xviii, no. 3) and fitted on to the piece first found. Thus we have complete yet another papal inscription, that of Pontianus, bishop and martyr (231-233). The only other pope in this crypt whose epitaph bears this monogram is Fabianus who died in 250 (plate xviii, no. 4). The letters V1 in these two epitaphs are a later addition, and both are by the same hand. The Pontianus epitaph is therefore important as showing that at this period it was not the custom to add the title of martyr to those who died for their faith. This pope died in exile in 236, and his body was brought to Rome by Fabianus not earlier than 238. Another example of the word " martyr " is found in the epitaph of pope Cornelius, who died in 255. He was buried in the crypt of Lucina in a private hypogaeum apart from his predecessors, and his epitaph, unlike those of the other popes of the third century, is in Latin, and " martyr " is written in full. This epitaph may be contemporary with the rest of the inscription, but as it spoils the symmetry of the slab, it is possibly a later addition. The palaeo- graphy of the whole inscription belongs to the same period. Of greater resemblance to the monogram in the two papal

I Wilpert op. cit. Marchi, Monumenti dell' arte 35; De Rossi, Bullettino, 1870, 47; 1872, 76; crist. prim. 258 ; Marucchi, Nuovo Bullettino, Igog, Kanzler, Nuovo Bullettino, 1895.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions i z6 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS inscriptions is an epitaph of the fourth or fifth century from Praetextatus: MART- JANUARI FELicissimi Agapiti (?) ET COFF. QUIRINI MAIO where the abbreviations stand for martyrum and confessoruum respectively. Another example of the third century is found in the Latin epitaph, all of one period: DP 111 IDVS- SEPTEBR. YACINTHYS MARTYR- and in a fragmentary inscription VS MARTYS found in Praetextatus, believed by De Rossi and Kanzler to be a fragment of the original epitaph of Felecissimus or Agapitus, martyred in 258 iinmediately after pope Sixtus. It would seem from the examples as if the title was first used about the middle of the third century. It is difficult however to ascribe any definite date for the addition of the monogram. Mono- grams are found in the third century, but are commoner in the fourth. The addition could have nothing to do with their recog- nition as martyrs (vindicatio martyrum) as the manner of their death was a matter of public knowledge at the time. The monogram was possibly added either at the Peace of the Church (when the official calendar was compiled), or by Damasus or by Sixtus III, both of whom paid special honour to the martyrs. In the papal crypt itself have been found two slabs of marble (plate xviii, nos. i and z) adorned with frescoes. Such decorations on marble are rare, and we may com- pare these new finds with a few similar examples found in Herculaneum. On one of the slabs is represented a sheep, sitting down. Of the other, which is broken in half, we have the left-hand portion. In the left-hand corner is depicted the antlered head of a stag: further to the right the tail and hind quarters of a horse, and letters JANO. 2 The animals are quite admirable: the date appears to be about the third century. It is difficult to recall any other example of a horse painted in the catacombs. The inscription is to a certain Januarius. The name is quite common, but it may possibly refer to one of the deacons of that name who was martyred with pope Sixtus II. Excavations beneath the papal crypt revealed the presence of galleries and cubicles made in an arenarium, and supported with third-century walls of tufa and mortar, with five layers of brick between. There are the usual loculi in the walls, and several loculi

2 See Wilpert, op. cit. for a coloured plate, and text, p. 6o.

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXCAVATION. 127

are often grouped together under one arcosolium. In this arenarium was discovered a vast pile of skeletons lying side by side, and layer upon layer to a depth of 4 metres. Earth of varying depths (from 8 to 20 centimetres) had been cast between the lavers. Some of the skeletons lie parallel, some perpendicularto the direction of the galleries. Wilpert,1 supported by the opinion of two doctors, Prof. Alessandriand Dr. Callisti, is of opinion that these skeletons were removed, at the time of the Peace of the Church, from their original burial places all about the papal crypt, to make room for persons wishing to be buried in close proximity to sacred shrines. Such a practice seems contrary to all we know both of pagan and christian feeling on the subject.2 Others think that the bodies were laid here after soine epidemic. The fact that such a close proximity to a much frequented shrine may have been, as Wilpert points out, unhealthy to the living, does not seern a sufficient reason whv the Rornansshould not have so buried them. It is evident that such ossuaria,whatever their origin, are referred to in passagesin the itineraries and elsewhere which speak of indefinite numbers of martyrs'" lying, all together. This particular burial place is referred to in the passage from the itinerary quoted above, lxxx Martyresibi requiescuntdeorsum, i.e. beneath S. Cecilia, though the number is larger. If Wilpert's conjecture is right, it is possible that Damasus refers to this practice in the last two lines of the epitaph he wrote in honour of the martyrs and saints which stood near the papal crypt: Hic fateor Damasus volui mea condere membra Sed cineres timui sanctos vexare piorum.

1 Wilpert, op. cit. 75. information on the anxiety of the christian martyrs 2 Edmond Le Blant in Academie des Inscrip- as to the fate of their dead bodies. tions et Belles-Lettres, vol. 28, has some curious

BIBLIOGRAPHY. On the catacomb as a whole, and on the interpretation of monuments in general: Scaglia, Les catacombesde S. Calixte, I909 ; Notiones archaeologiae christianae, I909, I9I0; Carta topographicacoemeterii S. Callisti. On portions of the catacomb, Wilpert, Die Papstgraber und die Caciliengruft, I909 (Italian translation, La cripta dei Papi, I9I0) ; Marucchi, Roma Sotterranea,nuovo serie, i, Domitilla, I909. On the frescoes of the catacombs, Wilpert, Die Malereien der KatakombenRoms, 267 plates, z vols, folio, I903 (Italian translation, Le Pitture delle catacombeRomane).

[The Editor has to thank Monsignor Wilpert and his publishers, Messrs. Herder, for permission to reproduce all the illustrations accompanying this paper.]

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.121 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:20:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions