The origins of the catacombs
Rome, 1st century B.C.E – A problem rises…
No one knows when exactly the dead began to rise from their graves. They just did. If a family was unlucky, grandma, grandpa, dad or mom would show up on the doorstep and one of the children would let him or her in. Then the killing would start. Back in Ancient Rome, noble family members would often be buried in plots on the family’s land.
For the poor, the situation was a little different. While family members may have been buried together, they were not often located in the same place as the living. When the dead rose again, they would find themselves wandering aimlessly through the streets. People didn’t pay them much mind because they pretty much looked and smelled like every other poor person. Personal hygiene wasn’t what it is today. While these dead would try to kill the living, they weren’t very successful because people would avoid them as they avoided any other strangers. When they were successful, the guard would round the dead person up and throw him in a cage. What happened after that is anyone’s guess.
There is conjecture that one of these prisoners created more undead and that these undead broke out of prison and killed guards, roman soldiers and citizens. They found their way to a coliseum where the gladiators made short work of them. Since these were prisoners, no one thought their appearance over strange, so this first episode was overlooked.
What brought the problem to light was the murder of Julius Caesar by his friend Brutus. Few knew that Brutus had been assassinated at the beginning of 44 B.C.E. However, the senators that did found that he had somehow been resurrected, but without the capability of thinking. They grabbed the living dead man and brought him to the palace where he was able to get close enough to kill Caesar. To cover their treachery and allay public fears of the rising dead, the Senate released a statement that Brutus had killed Caesar and that Brutus later committed suicide.
Behind the scenes, however, the Senate realized that the walking dead could become a real problem. They had to come up with a solution amidst the political turmoil. They found that the walking dead were easily confused and not coherent. The dead could not do anything but shamble around and eat. Decisions were a higher brain function that they lacked.
The Senate decided to build the catacombs. By entombing the dead in a maze with only one entrance and exit, they could ensure the safety of the population. It took time to implement the solution, but once they did, the dead were contained most of the time. History records those times when the dead escaped as the times of the Black Plague. Some theorize that the dead are still among us, just better controlled and less likely to run amok.
No one knows when exactly the dead began to rise from their graves. They just did. If a family was unlucky, grandma, grandpa, dad or mom would show up on the doorstep and one of the children would let him or her in. Then the killing would start. Back in Ancient Rome, noble family members would often be buried in plots on the family’s land.
For the poor, the situation was a little different. While family members may have been buried together, they were not often located in the same place as the living. When the dead rose again, they would find themselves wandering aimlessly through the streets. People didn’t pay them much mind because they pretty much looked and smelled like every other poor person. Personal hygiene wasn’t what it is today. While these dead would try to kill the living, they weren’t very successful because people would avoid them as they avoided any other strangers. When they were successful, the guard would round the dead person up and throw him in a cage. What happened after that is anyone’s guess.
There is conjecture that one of these prisoners created more undead and that these undead broke out of prison and killed guards, roman soldiers and citizens. They found their way to a coliseum where the gladiators made short work of them. Since these were prisoners, no one thought their appearance over strange, so this first episode was overlooked.
What brought the problem to light was the murder of Julius Caesar by his friend Brutus. Few knew that Brutus had been assassinated at the beginning of 44 B.C.E. However, the senators that did found that he had somehow been resurrected, but without the capability of thinking. They grabbed the living dead man and brought him to the palace where he was able to get close enough to kill Caesar. To cover their treachery and allay public fears of the rising dead, the Senate released a statement that Brutus had killed Caesar and that Brutus later committed suicide.
Behind the scenes, however, the Senate realized that the walking dead could become a real problem. They had to come up with a solution amidst the political turmoil. They found that the walking dead were easily confused and not coherent. The dead could not do anything but shamble around and eat. Decisions were a higher brain function that they lacked.
The Senate decided to build the catacombs. By entombing the dead in a maze with only one entrance and exit, they could ensure the safety of the population. It took time to implement the solution, but once they did, the dead were contained most of the time. History records those times when the dead escaped as the times of the Black Plague. Some theorize that the dead are still among us, just better controlled and less likely to run amok.