In the vicinity are fragments of the epitaphs of Manius Acilius and
Priscilla, of Quintus Acilius and Caia Acilia in Greek, another Greek
inscription "Acilius Rufinus mayest thou live in God." After careful
examination of the nine Acilii, who were consuls, De Rossi concludes
that this was the resting-place of that Acilius Glabrio, consul with
Trajan, A.D. 91, who in the year of his consulate was compelled by
Domitian to fight with beasts in the arena, and then banished and put to
death in 95. The question of his Christianity seems settled by the
discovery of the sepulchre of these Christian Acilii. From this crypt a
staircase led up to the basilica in which Pope Silvester was buried, and
the whole plan of which was laid bare by De Rossi. The tomb of St
Silvester could be identified, and that of Pope Siricius "at his feet,"
as the pilgrim noted (_Bullett._, 1890, pp. 106-119).
Just before De Rossi's death, Mgr. Wilpert discovered in the Cappella
Greca a painting of the "Fractio Panis" or eucharistic feast, which he
cleansed from the dust with which it had been covered. The picture of
the Blessed Virgin and Child, which De Rossi ascribed to the 2nd, if not
to the 1st century, has received an unexpected proof of its antiquity.
In 1890 the floor of the gallery in which it stands was excavated, and
another floor was found to be 6 ft. below its supposed level. The
_loculi_ in this lower portion were intact, with inscriptions of the 2nd
century still in their places, proving that the niche in which that
picture was painted must have been considerably older than the lowering
of the floor. A flight of iron steps enables the visitor now to examine
this venerable specimen of early Christian art.
After the death of De Rossi, one of his pupils, H. Stevenson, since
dead, discovered in 1896 a small subterranean basilica in the catacomb
of Santi Pietro e Marcellino on the Via Labicana, with pious
acclamations on the plaster similar to those in the Papal crypt in St
Calixtus. Near the well-known subterranean chapel in the _Coemeterium
Ostrianum_ was discovered by Mgr. Crostarosa, in 1877, another chapel,
in which Signor Armellini found traces of St Emerentiana, foster-sister
of St Agnes. Near this a whole region of galleries has been brought to
light with _loculi_ intact.
Explorations conducted in the cemetery of Domitilla in 1897-1898 brought
to light a fine double crypt with frescoes representing Christ seated
between six male and female saints; also an inscription relating to a
new saint (Eulalius) in a cubiculum of the 3rd century. In 1899-1900
were discovered two opposite cubicula in the catacomb of Santi Pietro e
Marcellino. These were unknown to Bosio, and are both covered with
frescoes, the vault being in one case decorated with the scene which
represents Christ seated among the apostles and pronouncing sentence
upon the defunct. An inscription discovered in 1900 on the site of the
ancient cemetery of St Ciriaca, and dating from A.D. 405, states that
one Euryalus bought a site _ad mensam beati martyris Laurentii_ from a
certain _fossor_ whose name has been erased. This is interesting as an
example of what was known as _memoriae damnatio_ or the blotting out of
a name on account of some dishonourable action. From the end of the 4th
to the first half of the 5th century, the _fossores_ had the privilege
of selling sites, which frequently led to grave abuses. In 1901-1902
excavations in the cemetery of Santa Priscilla, near the Cappella Greca,
revealed a polygonal chamber. This may have originally been the
_nymphaeum_ of the great villa of the Acilii Glabriones, the _hypogaeum_
of which was discovered by De Rossi near this spot in 1888. It may have
been used as a burial-place for martyrs, and Professor Marucchi is
inclined to see in it the sepulchral chapel of Pope Marcellinus, who
died in A.D. 304 during the persecutions of Diocletian. In 1902, in that
part of the Via Ardeatina which passes between the cemeteries of
Calixtus and Domitilla, was discovered a crypt with frescoes and the
sanctuary of a martyr: it is thought that this, rather than a
neighbouring crypt brought to light in 1897, may prove to be the
sepulchral crypt of SS. Marcus and Marcellianus. In a cubiculum leading
out of a gallery in the vicinity there was also discovered an
interesting impression in plaster of an inscription of the mother of
Pope Damasus, beginning: