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, built much later, Rome's underground complex first appeared in the late 2nd century, providing a burial place for the dead near 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 to be buried in this location. Widely used by all, the catacombs were and remain a place rich in early Christian Church history (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 issuing of the Edict of Milan in 313, Rome was a very hostile place for the first Christians (Bishop 106). These Christians lived alongside pagans who were insensitive to their religious beliefs and who were all too willing to serve as persecutors. Because of the illegality of their faith, they were forced underground – literally. While the underground burial of the deceased was not unknown to the Romans, "with Christianity, much more complex and larger burial hypogea arose, 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 used extensively between the 2nd and 5th centuries, and were maintained until the 9th century. The catacombs fell 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 to be taken lightly. It can change the way we think and empower us in ways we didn't think possible. Works Cited Bishop, Philip E. Adventures in the Human Spirit. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2011. Print."Fresco technique." Italianfrescoes.com. Fresco Art and Web. 04 December 2013.Kleiner, Fred S. Art through the centuries. Boston: Wadsworth, 2014. Print."Roman Christian Catacombs." Arsmar.com. Np, nd Web. December 10, 2013."Catacombs of Rome." Rome.info. Pro Regione, ndWeb. 04 December 2013."The Christian catacombs." Vatican.va. The Vatican, nd Web. 04 December 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. 05 December. 2013.