There was one other article that I read concerning burials during the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. The work was entitled "Seasons of Death" by Brent Shaw and concerned the burials and epitaphs of Christians.
"The Christian deceased were buried in the so-called catacombs-a disparate network of well over sixty different burial grounds constituted by underground tunnels and chambers radiating outwards from the periphery of the city. It has been estimated that these subterranean corridors extend for a combined length of about a thousand kilometers beneath the surface of the suburban regions of Rome." (101)
(That is around 621 miles)(It should also be noted that they did not bury within the city walls at this time either)
The epitaphs included a date of birth which was actually the death date or date of rebirth. This was the most important piece of information to be included on the Christian epitaphs unlike the Ancient Roman tradition of including their accomplishments etc.
The reason that I wanted to bring up this article is because I personally wonder what happened to the catacombs during the Ancient Roman times. During my reading I have often come across their harsh treatment of Christians and how Christian burials were not accepted as real graveyards-so I wonder that the catacombs were never touched during the Ancient Roman Empire.
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