English

Epitaphs of the Catacombs; or, Christian inscriptions in Rome during the first four centuries

CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. Universal use of epitaphs ; their purpose ; their brevity ; usefulness and interest — Number of ancient Christian epitaphs known; not a seventh part of what once existed — Causes of their destruction in ancient, mediaeval, and modern times — Dispersion of those which were preserved, in churches, convents, museums — Existing collections in Rome — Action of the Popes with reference to them — The plan of a Lapidarian Gallery projected, lost sight of, and at last badly executed — Christian Museum at the Lateran projected by Gregory XVI., and executed by Pius IX. — The inscriptions there, whence obtained by De Rossi ; how arranged — Importance of this sketch — Roman inscriptions copied by scholars of the eighth and ninth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries — Other collections by Bosio, Fabretti, Boldetti, Marangoni, and others — De Rossi undertakes to publish a complete collection — First volume appears in 1864 — Its contents arranged not topographically, nor theologically, but chronologically, 1 CHAPTER II. A VISIT TO THE LATERAN MUSEUM. Some general features of the inscriptions collected there — (I.) Different style of engraving ; some excellent, som

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