Exploring The Roots Of The Recurring Subjects And Symbols...

After nearly two centuries completely lacking in images, early Christians finally developed a pictorial language to express their faith. The conventions developed early on would come to define the middle ages, an entire era of almost exclusively Christian images. Early Christians adopted classical conventions for their art, which would serve an opposing purpose for outsiders and initiates. For outsiders, the symbols meant no harm. But to followers of the faith, the images are loaded with meaning. The meaning inherent in the history of the symbol, when combined with a biblical context, creates a full and multi-faceted iconographic tradition. The purpose of this paper is to explore the roots of the recurring subjects and symbols evident in the funerary paintings in Catacombs of Domitilla in Rome. Funerary paintings and sculpture provide the most thorough evidence of early Christian art. An exceptional visual tradition has been preserved in the vast network of underground burial systems: the Roman catacombs. One of the most extensive of these is the Catacomb of Domitilla. Beginning in the third century CE, the Catacombs of Domitilla housed thousands of bodies from families rich and poor, and extended for over seventeen kilometers in four distinct subterranean levels. In terms of style, most of the works are indistinguishable from Roman paintings. If anything, the art style is a more rushed and cramped version of illusionistic Roman wall painting. The use of iconography is