Les catacombes chretiennes de Rome: Origine, developpement, decor, inscriptions / Subterranean Rome: In search of the roots of Christianity in the Catacombs of the Eternal City

Les catacombes chretiennes de Rome: Origine, developpement, decor, inscriptions. By Vincenzo Fiocchi Nicolai, Fabrizio Bisconti, and Danilo Mazzoleni. Turnhout: Brepols, 2000. 207 pp. 1603.08 BEF (cloth).

Subterranean Rome: In Search of the Roots of Christianity in the Catacombs of the Eternal City. By L. V. Rutgers. Leuven: Peeters, 2000. 164 pp. illus. 595 BEF (cloth).

The year 2000 was a jubilee year for the Eternal City. These two volumes, undoubtedly published in conjunction with that celebration, provide two different kinds of tours for pilgrims, whether armchair or pedestrian, who wish to visit the fascinating and important Christian catacombs of Rome. Les catacombes chretiennes de Rome offers a thorough and comprehensive examination of the ancient underground burial sites: it is intended for library or home study. Subterranean Rome is a more modest guidebook designed to fit in a traveler's purse, handbag, or backpack.

Subterranean Rome is fascinating and highly readable. Filling a gap in the literature, at least in English, L. V. Rutgers not only surveys the history and archaeology of these underground cemeteries, but also provides detailed and practical information for the tourist or pilgrim. As Rutgers notes, the importance of Rome's Christian catacombs is clear: "there simply exists no other place where such a high concentration of early Christian tombs, funerary inscriptions, and wall paintings can be found" (p. 5).

The three central chapters of Subterranean Rome explore the discovery, archaeology, and art of the catacombs. In chapter one Rutgers explains why the catacombs essentially became invisible between the ninth and sixteenth centuries: the removal of martyrs' bones to churches meant that the catacombs were no longer a destination for pilgrims. Christians, no longer bound by the Roman religious tradition of burying beyond the city limits, established cemeteries on the grounds of their churches. (He might have added that Christians desired to be buried as near to a martyr or saint as possible, whether in the catacombs or near churches.)

In chapter 2 Rutgers provides an historical survey of the catacombs replete with interesting information: the term "catacomb" comes from two words meaning "near the hollows," a reference to the ravine along the Via Appia (Antica) near the San Sebastiano catacombs. This place name eventually became generic for all underground cemeteries. Archaeology has shown that no catacombs were dug before the late second or early third century, and Christians did not use the catacombs to hide from Roman authorities since these were very public spaces, well known by authorities (and, he could have noted, the oil lamps used to light them undoubtedly made them too smoky to allow visitors to stay for long). Christians must have initially buried their dead in Roman cemeteries and later constructed underground burial chambers and eventually huge galleries because of their need for more burial space.

In chapter three Rutgers discusses the art of the catacombs and particularly its influence on Christian art for centuries to come. The catacombs provide invaluable information for the development of Christian art. Rutgers's explanation for the early Christian preference for Old Testament themes/motifs over New Testament ones-a preference that began to change dramatically with the toleration of Christianity by the Roman state in the fourth century-is particularly engaging.

There have been some sixty catacombs discovered to date, but Rutgers draws most of his references, particularly to catacomb art, from those open to the public and most accessible to tourists. His "Guide to the Catacombs" (chapter 4) contains useful information, including both location and hours of operation, as well as descriptions of each site. An appendix (chapter 5) offers a brief history and description of the less well-known Jewish catacombs. Rutgers also provides a discussion of Christian inscriptions, a glossary of related terms, a useful index, and a short bibliography (although only six of the sixteen books are in English). Some fifty visual aids, most of them color photographs, enhance a beautifully designed book.

The one detraction from the success of this English-language book is that English obviously is not the first language of the author, a Dutch archaeologist. The manuscript clearly needed the ministrations of an editor more fluent in English. Good editing could also have tightened the prose, which is repetitious in many places, eliminated numerous typos, and fixed minor errors. None of these problems, however, will unduly distract the interested reader from this handy and informative guide to Rome's catacombs.

Les catacombes chretiennes de Rome, which is also available in English translation, consists of three roughly equal chapters, each by a noted Italian scholar: (1) "The Origin and Development of the Roman Catacombs" by Vin- cenzo Fiocchi Nicolai, (2) "The Decor of the Roman Catacombs" by Fabrizio Bisconti, and (3) "The Epigraphic Production of the Roman Catacombs" by Danilo Mazzoleni. A twenty-page bibliography and full footnotes complement the volume.