When we usually think of the catacombs of ancient Rome, images of the dead lying on shelves and persecuted Christians often come to mind. Not to be confused with the Parisian catacombs created much later, Rome's underground complex first appeared in the late 2nd century, providing a place for burial of the dead close to Rome's borders. These burial chambers are often considered the final resting place of many of the early martyrs of the Church, and while this is often true, they were not the only ones buried in this location. Widely used by all, the catacombs were and remain a place full of rich history of the early Christian Church (Christian Catacombs). In this article I will show the real users of the ancient catacombs and how the early Christians were not so different from the pagans who inhabited Rome at the time. Before the Edict of Milan was issued in 313, Rome was a very hostile place for early Christians (Bishop 106). These Christians lived alongside pagans unsympathetic to their religious beliefs and all too willing to serve as persecutors. Because of the illegality of their faith, they were forced underground – literally. While underground burial of the dead was not unknown to the Romans, “with Christianity, much more complex and larger funerary hypogeums arose in order to accommodate the entire community in a single necropolis” (Christian Catacombs). In reality, there were catacombs used by Christians, Jews and pagans. The Roman catacombs were widely used between the 2nd and 5th centuries and were preserved until the 9th century. The catacombs would fall into disuse around the 9th century,...... middle of paper ......Studying our origins will teach us a lot about our faith, and it is not something that should be taken lightly. It can change the way we think and strengthen us in ways we didn't think possible. Works CitedBishop, Philip E. Adventures in the Human Spirit. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2011. “Fresco Technique” Printing. Italianfrescoes.com. Fresco art, nd Web. December 04, 2013. Kleiner, Fred S. Art through the ages. Boston: Wadsworth, 2014. “Roman Christian Catacombs” print. Arsmar.com. Np, and Web. December 10, 2013. “Catacombs of Rome”. Rome.info. Pro Region, nd Web. December 4, 2013. “The Christian catacombs. » Vatican.va. The Vatican, nd Web. December 4, 2013.The Holy Bible. Catholic edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1965. Print. White, L. M. and John D. Crossan. “In the catacombs.” PBS.org. PBS and Web. December 5. 2013.