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A look at why the ancient Romans used the catacombs and whether we use anything similar to the catacombs in the twenty-first century.

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A solution to the following question: "What was the purpose of the Roman catacombs? Do we have anything similar to this in today's society? How so or why not?"

This solution focuses on cultural practices during the Roman Empire and the catacombs under the city of Rome. When addressing whether similar facilities are used today, the solution focuses on societies in Western culture.

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Solution Summary

This 300-word solution answers a question regarding the purpose the catacombs in ancient Rome and whether similar facilities are used in contemporary society. Recommended sources are twenty-first century publications, and all links are valid as of December 12, 2016.

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Early Christians used the Roman catacombs for burials from the first century CE until Constantine's legalization of the religion in 313. While not all emperors violently persecuted Christians, practitioners still felt compelled to keep their religious practices secret. This explains why they interred their dead in wall niches below the city. Roman pagans usually cremated their dead and stored the ashes in cineraria. However, traditional Christian belief holds that the body must be intact when the world ends so that the soul will be able to rejoin ...

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