Christian Archaeology
Archeologia Cristiana · 102 articles · Principal contributors · All subjectsVarious Topics (Argomenti vari)
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Ad Corpus, Basilica
AD CORPUS, BASILICA. - This is the technical term used by archaeologists to indicate a basilica that was built near or over the body of a… -
Ad Sanctos
AD SANCTOS. - This Latin expression ("near the saints") designates the custom of the ancient Christians of being buried, when possible,… -
Alicula
ALICULA. - A leather cape, with or without a hood, used by hunters, farmers, workers and boys. In Christian cemetery paintings and… -
Alumnus
ALUMNUS. - In the Greco-Roman world it was permitted to get rid of newborn infants, even free ones, who were exposed either in the places… -
Anastasi
ANASTASI. - From the Greek Ἀνάστασις, that is, resurrection. In the peregrinatio Aetheriae (Itinera Hierosolymitana, in CSEL, 39, pp. 71,… -
Anathema (ANATEMA)
ANATHEMA - Christian sepulchral inscription with an anathema against violators of tombs - Rome, Lateran Christian Museum. et monumenta, II,… -
Anchor (ANCORA)
ANCHOR. - G. B. De Rossi defined the anchor as the solemn and fundamental symbol of Christian symbolism (Bull. arch. crist., 2nd series, 2… -
Apse (from Greek ἀφίς "Joint" and later also "Arch, Vault"), or Exedra (ABSIDE (DAL GR. ἈΦΊΣ « GIUNTURA » E POI ANCHE « ARCO, VOLTA »), OVVERO EXEDRA)
APSE (from Greek ἀφίς "Joint" and later also "Arch, Vault"), or Exedra. - It is a semicircular structure with a hemispherical vault, in use… -
Arcosolium (ARCOSOLIO)
ARCOSOLIUM. - Solium in Latin means, besides throne, seat, also basin, and like other analogous terms it came later to designate the tomb.… -
Ardica
ARDICA. - The expression is used particularly in Ravenna to indicate the portico of a church, which is a reduced form of the atrium, as,… -
Arenario
ARENARIUS. - Shortly after the discovery of the Christian cemetery galleries on the via Salaria in the spring of 1578, the Sanctorum… -
Ark (ARCA)
ARK. - Latin name used as a synonym for sarcophagus (v.) located above ground in ancient Christian cemeteries (v.). It is used, from the… -
Ass (ASINO)
ASS. - Tra i molti animali che l'arte paleocristiana ha ammesso nel suo repertorio, è da annoverare anche l'a. In un affresco del cimitero… -
Banquet, Scenes Of (BANCHETTO, SCENE DI)
BANQUET, Scenes Of. - It cannot yet be said that convivial scenes in Early Christian art have found a definitive interpretation.… -
Baptistery (BATTISTERO)
BAPTISTERY. - The word is used by Pliny the Younger with the meaning of a bath tub (Ep., II, 17, 11), and it is still employed in the same… -
Basilica
BASILICA. - The word b., which derives from the Greek (στού βασιλική), means in the Latin language a large hall for public or private use.… -
Bath (BAGNO)
BATH. — The daily bath in specially built thermal establishments had become so much a part of general custom in the Roman empire that… -
Bema
BEMA. - From the Greek βῆμα (βλῆμ = to go, to walk). The meaning of the term B. is very different, whether in ancient Greece or in Rome, in… -
Birro
BIRRO. - The birrus was an outer garment in the form of a cloak or gabardine that could reach down to the knee and be provided with a hood.… -
Bisomus
BISOMUS. - With "locus" understood, it means a burial place for two bodies and is terminology proper to the Roman catacombs. Like the… -
Brandea
BRANDEA. - With this term the early Christians designated those linen cloths or veils which, having been applied directly to the body or… -
Cantaró (CANTARO)
CANTARÓ. - From the Greek κάνθαρος, a kind of drinking cup with a wide opening; it is also used to designate the basin from which water… -
Capitello
CAPITELLO. - It is the architectural element that serves to connect a support, whether column or pier, with the architrave or the impost… -
Capsa
CAPSA. — From the Greek χάψα, properly a box for books; it could also be called a scrinium; for the most part circular, of wood, if very… -
Catacombs, Cemetery In (CATACUMBAS, CIMITERO IN)
CATACOMBS, CEMETERY IN. - From the Greek κατὰ κόμβας, it was originally a topo- > (photo Pont. comm. di arch. sacra) > CATACUMBAS, CIMITERO… -
Cataract (CATARACTA)
CATARACT. - Latin feminine formation from the Greek masculine κατὰρράκτης. It properly means a river waterfall and in particular that of… -
Chlamys (Κλαμός) (CLAMIDE (ΚΛΑΜΌΣ))
CHLAMYS (Κλαμός). - The Romans called thus a cloak shorter than the pallium, whose two extreme points on the long side were gathered on the… -
Cippus (CIPPO)
CIPPUS. - A parallelepiped of stone or marble, either to mark a burial and therefore with a corresponding inscription, or to delimit a… -
Clypeate, Image (CLIPEATA, IMMAGINE)
CLYPEATE, IMAGE. - With the expression "imago clipeata," which is already found in Macrobius (Saturn., II, 3), one usually designates the… -
Colobium (Κολόβος)
COLOBIUM (Κολόβος). - It is a long, tight tunic, without sleeves. It is worn by the Savior on the cross, as, for example, in the now almost… -
Colomba
COLOMBA. - One of the most frequent birds in purely decorative compositions, the dove, both in early Christian literature and art, is part… -
Consignatorium
CONSIGNATORIUM. - This refers to a hall for the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, which in the first centuries was… -
Corpus Inscriptionum
CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM. - Corpus means a general collection. Many general collections of inscriptions have been made for antiquity. Of those… -
Crypt (CRIPTA)
CRYPT. - The Romans called crypta (from the Greek κρύπτο, "I hide") a covered and subterranean ambulatory; Christians employed it to… -
Cubiculum
CUBICULUM. - It is a common term among the Romans for indicating the bedrooms that opened onto the sides of the atrium of the house. It is… -
Decoration (DECORAZIONE)
DECORATION. - The universally widespread and deeply rooted taste for a decorated setting and object undoubtedly constituted a substratum… -
De Donis Dei
DE DONIS DEI. - A formula often used mostly on liturgical furnishings, in ancient Christian inscriptions both in the West and in the East… -
Deer (CERVO)
DEER. - The biblical image of Ps. 41, sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, has been rendered in early Christian art by the… -
Depositio-Depositus
DEPOSITIO-DEPOSITUS. — Depono, in literary texts already from the 3rd century, took on the sense of laying in the tomb, burying, but always… -
D.M.S
D.M.S. - Funerary inscription placed in memory of her husband Menander by Pomponia Mitilene (3rd century) with the Θ (εοίς) Κ (αταχθονίοις)… -
Dogmatic Inscriptions (DOGMATICHE, ISCRIZIONI)
DOGMATIC INSCRIPTIONS. - Epigraphic material can greatly benefit the knowledge of the life and thought of the ancient Christians,… -
Dolphin (DELFINO)
DOLPHIN. - The ancients regarded this cetacean as a friend of man, and believed that, following ships and taking refuge in harbors at the… -
Dominicum
DOMINICUM. - The oldest places where Christians held their assemblies and celebrated the divine mysteries were private domus, which were… -
Domus Aeterna
DOMUS AETERNA. - The lack of burial, and the violation or destruction of the tomb were considered by the ancients to be the worst injuries… -
Eagle (in Christian Archaeology) (AQUILA (NELL'ARCHEOLOGIA CRISTIANA))
EAGLE (in Christian Archaeology). - The eagle appears in early Christian art only as an ornamental motif, as in a cubiculum of the Cemetery… -
Embalmation (IMBALSAMAZIONE)
EMBALMATION. - The ancient Christians generally used two types of e.; the first, inexpensive, consisted in placing a layer of quicklime… -
Encolpius (ENCOLPIO)
ENCOLPIUS. - This term designated small cases enclosing relics of saints, or other sacred objects, which the faithful used to wear hanging… -
Epigraphic Syllogisms (SILLOGI EPIGRAFICHE)
EPIGRAPHIC SYLLOGISMS. - In the Roman world the East preceded the West in the collection of inscriptions; in Greece, in fact, sylloges were… -
Epigraphy, Christian Latin and Greek (EPIGRAFIA CRISTIANA LATINA E GRECA)
EPIGRAPHY, CHRISTIAN LATIN AND GREEK. - Epigraphy may rightly be called the eye of (Int. Enc. Catt.) EPIGONATION - Pontifical Russian… -
Eulogia
EULOGIA. - Originally this term indicated the bread offered by the faithful for the Eucharistic Sacrifice but not used for that purpose,… -
Faithful (FEDELE)
FAITHFUL. - The ancient Christians called fidelis (in Gk. πιστός) the one who had received the sacrament of Baptism, who had obtained the… -
Fenestella Confessionis
FENESTELLA CONFESSIONIS. - Both in block altars and in chest altars there is sometimes found a rectangular opening faced with marble that… -
Fibula
FIBULA. - The Latin term "f." (in Greek περόνη, πάρτη, δαντή) denotes both the safety pin and the belt clasp or buckle. With this term… -
Fish (PESCE)
FISH. - It is one of the most ancient Christian symbols. In Greek, fish is called ΙΧΘΥC, and the letters composing it form the acrostic… -
Fisherman (PESCATORE)
FISHERMAN. - Christ said to the two fishermen Peter and Andrew: "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt. 4:19; Mk. 1:17; Lk.… -
Flowers (FIORI)
FLOWERS. - ARCHAEOLOGY. - In the Octavius of Minucius Felix it is stated that Christians did not place crowns of flowers on their heads… -
Foot (PIEDE)
FOOT. - Unità di misura presso i Romani, corrispondente a m. 0,2959. Talvolta si trova rappresentato anche in iscrizioni cristiane, come in… -
Fossors (FOSSORI)
FOSSORS. - This is the name, used even by the pagans, for the workers employed in digging burial pits. Hippolytus recalls why the fossor is… -
Gesti
GESTI. - For the determination of ancient Christian iconographic scenes, the interpretation of gestures is very important, which Cicero… -
Horse (CAVALLO)
HORSE. - St. Paul, addressing the Corinthians, invites them to act in such a way as to reach the goal, that is, heaven, as in the stadium… -
Itineraries (ITINERARI)
ITINERARIES. - From iter, they are practical indicators of the road to be traveled in order to move from one place to another: sometimes,… -
Keys (CLAVI)
KEYS. - An ornament of the Roman tunic; the clavi were two parallel purple stripes which, passing over the shoulders, ran down in front and… -
Lacerna
LACERNA. - A short cloak, originally of coarse wool, used in Asia, introduced to Rome by Lucullus; disdained by Augustus (Suetonius, Aug.,… -
Lacunaria (Laquearia)
LACUNARIA (Laquearia). - As in earlier civil buildings, in Christian basilicas the ceiling consisted of intersecting beams forming a… -
Lead (PIOMBO)
LEAD. - Lead was used in antiquity for the most disparate purposes: for conduits, small crosses, weights, tokens, ampullae, small plaques,… -
Leo (LEONE)
LEO. - In ancient Christian monuments the prophet Daniel is represented between two lions, both in sarcophagi and in the catacomb… -
Loculus (LOCULO)
LOCULUS. - Diminutivo di locus, che nella terminologia funeraria classica e cristiana (cf. iscrizioni cristiane con locus, in Diehl [v. op.… -
Luminary (LUMINARE)
LUMINARY. - In ancient Christian epigraphy this term sometimes occurs to indicate a vertical or oblique opening made in the tufa of the… -
Lupo
LUPO. - In the arcosolium of Celerina, in the cemetery of Praetextatus, Susanna is represented as a sheep between two wolves, designated as… -
Masonry Structures (STRUTTURE MURARIE)
MASONRY STRUCTURES. - When man abandoned the natural shelters of caves and built rudimentary dwellings, he formed settlements which he… -
Mensa
MENSA. - The term is sometimes used as a synonym for the altar (v.) erected on the tomb of a martyr. Thus St. Augustine, speaking of the… -
Mirabilia Urbis
MIRABILIA URBIS. - The M. contain notices concerning the most notable Roman and Christian monuments and their vicissitudes, elaborated by… -
Miracle of the Fountain (FONTE, MIRACOLO DELLA)
MIRACLE OF THE FOUNTAIN. - The miracle worked by Moses in the desert was represented quite early in primitive Christian funerary art; the… -
Nativity Scene (PRESEPE)
NATIVITY SCENE. - St. Jerome writes in 404 to Eustochium that Paula, entering Bethlehem into the "Specum Salvatoris," saw the "stabulum"… -
Nave
NAVE. - In ancient Christian art the ship represents the Church (v.), whose pilot is Christ himself and whose oarsmen are the Evangelists,… -
Nimbus (NIMBO)
NIMBUS. - A disc which from as early as the 4th century B.C. is found placed around the head of images of divinities or of deified beings.… -
Orante
ORANTE (Orant). - The early Christians adopted for prayer the same gestures used by the pagans (Cicero, Fam. 7, 5; Virgil, Aen., II, 687… -
Palma
PALMA. - By their blood the martyrs merit from Christ the prize of eternal life, and therefore in the apocalyptic division they carry the… -
Pastore, Buon
GOOD SHEPHERD. - The people of Israel were eminently agricultural, and in the Old Testament the expression "shepherd" is often used. Moses… -
Peacock (PAVONE)
PEACOCK. - The peacock, originally from India, was known in Israel perhaps already in the time of Solomon, then in Greece and in Rome. It… -
Pecora
PECORA. - Symbol of the soul, it is known from the parable of the Good Shepherd (v.). Gregory of Nyssa, addressing the Good Shepherd with… -
Penula
PENULA. - Among the Romans the paenula was a dark-colored cloak, perhaps of Celtic origin, closed also at the front and sleeveless,… -
Personifications (PERSONIFICAZIONI)
PERSONIFICATIONS. - Early Christian art generally continued to make use of the personifications created by classical art. For example, the… -
Phoenix (FENICE)
PHOENIX. - A symbolic bird originating from India, according to the Physiologus (J. Strzygowski, Der Bilderkreis des griechischen… -
Pileo
PILEO. - A cap of leather or cloth, from the Greek πῦος, used by the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans. In ancient Christian monuments… -
Platonia
PLATONIA. - From platoma or platomum: marble slab. The term is found used in the Liber Pontificalis, in the biography of Liberius, of whom… -
Polyandry (POLIANDRO)
POLYANDRY. - From the Greek πολύς = much and ἀνὴρ = man, it is a term used by Fr. G. Marchi to indicate a tomb containing several human… -
Portrait (RITRATTO)
PORTRAIT. - I. ARCHAEOLOGY. - The portrait was a characteristic of Roman art. Christians had no portraits either of the Savior or of the… -
Prepositi
PREPOSITI. - They were the officials in charge of administration in the cemetery basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Lawrence and St.… -
Pulpit (PULPITO)
PULPIT. - I. ARCHAEOLOGY. - The pulpit, also called tribunal, pyrgus, analogius, was introduced quite early into buildings of worship,… -
Quadriportico
QUADRIPORTICO. - Varro in "De Lingua latina" (V, 161) specifies the peculiar function of the atrium or q. as an environment "qui esset ad… -
Quails (QUAGLIE)
QUAILS. - La presa delle q., che fu uno dei cibi apprestati dal Signore agli Ebrei nel deserto, come si narra in Ex. 16,13, venne scolpita… -
Ram (ARIETE)
RAM. - Although the figure of the ram appears as a decorative ornament on secular monuments, it constitutes a symbol of which Christianity… -
Refreshment (REFRIGERIO)
REFRESHMENT. - In Greek ἀνάφυξις means refreshment, relief, banquet. Among the Romans it is found as such: refrigeratio aestate (Cicero, De… -
Sarcophagi (SARCOFAGI)
SARCOPHAGI. - Within the sphere of the artistic documentation of the first centuries of Christianity, Early Christian sarcophagi… -
Schola Cantorum
SCHOLA CANTORUM. - This term designates a rectangular enclosure, often raised one or two steps above the rest of the floor, placed in the… -
Synagogue (SINAGOGA)
SYNAGOGUE - Painted decoration of the synagogue of Dura Europos (245-56 A.D.). > (from J. B. Frey, Une ancienne synagogue de Galilee… -
Transept (TRANSETTO)
TRANSEPT. - I. ARCHAEOLOGY. - By t. is meant that architectural organism placed transversally between the naves that develop in a… -
Tribuna
TRIBUNA. - In the early Christian basilicas this was the name given to the part behind the high altar in which the bishop or the abbot took… -
Triumphal Arch (ARCO TRIONFALE)
TRIUMPHAL ARCH. - In Christian architecture it is the great arch that separates the central nave of the church from the presbytery, whether… -
Tunic (TUNICA)
TUNIC. — A word from the Indo-European root tun, "to cover, draw tight, bind"; diminutives: tunicula, tunicella; Italian: tonaca.… -
Veli
VEILS. - The veils that adorned the Christian basilicas certainly derive from the common use in patrician dwellings and in Roman public…