Catacombs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- (For the Bronze Age culture, see Catacomb culture)
- (For the computer game series, see Catacomb 3D)
The original catacombs[1] are a network of underground burial galleries near San Sebastiano fuori le mura, in Rome. The word now refers to any network of caves, grottos, or subterranean place that is used for the burial of the dead, or it can refer to a specific underground burial place. Famous examples are:
- Catacombs of Rome in Italy
- Catacombs of Paris in France
- Catacombs of Kom el Shuqafa (or Kom al Sukkfa) in Alexandria, Egypt
- Catacombs of Malta on the Mediterranean island of Malta
- Catacombs of Sacromonte in Granada, Spain.
- Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, Italy.
- Catacombs of Lima in Peru.
There are also catacomb-like burial chambers in Anatolia, Turkey; in Susa, North Africa; in Naples, Italy; in Syracuse, Italy; Trier, Germany; Kiev, Ukraine. Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, Sicily were used as late as 1920s.
In Ukraine and Russia, catacomb (used in the local languages' plural katakomby) also refers to the network of abandoned caves and tunnels earlier used to mine stone, especially limestone. Such catacombs are situated in Crimea and the Black Sea coast of these two countries. The most famous are catacombs beneath Odessa and Ajimushkay, Crimea, Ukraine. In the early days of Christianity, believers conducted secret worship services in these burial caves for safety and reverence for the dead. Later, they served as bases for Soviet World War II guerrillas (see also Great Patriotic War). Ajimushkay catacombs hosted about 10.000 fighters and refugees. Many of them died and were buried there, and memorials and museums were later established (it is now a territory of Kerch city).
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[edit] In popular culture
[edit] Computer and video games
Catacombs are a popular feature of many computer and video games due to their association with horror and the undead. Some of the more well-known game catacombs are listed below:
- Catacombs are a common setting for the Tomb Raider series, particularly Tomb Raider 1 and Tomb Raider 2 with the Catacombs of the Talion.
- In the Diablo series, catacombs and other burial grounds are frequent settings for the game's action. These typically include sarcophagi which the player can loot for treasure, and which often release undead enemies.
- In Ultima VIII: Pagan of the Ultima series, the player must explore the catacombs as part of his quest.
[edit] Film
Catacombs is a film starring Alecia Moore (aka Pink) due to release in 2007, which takes place in the Parisian catacombs.
In the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody) travel through the Catacombs in Venice while on a search for clues to the location of the Holy Grail.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ The derivation is the Latin catacumbæ, from the phrase caca tombs (among the tombs), through metathesis and with attraction of -cumbere (to lie), from Greek κατα (down) and ultimately from Greek τυμβος (tomb) (1). From Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, Chambers (New York), 1988, ISBN 0-550-14230-4, see catacomb and tomb.
