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Unconquered Sun
Sol Invictus (, "Unconquered Sun"), sometimes simply known as Helios, was long considered to be the official Solar deity, sun god of the later Roman Empire. In recent years, however, the scholarly community has become divided on Sol between traditionalists and a growing group of revisionists. In the traditional view, ''Sol Invictus'' was the second of two entirely different sun gods in Rome. The first of these, Sol (Roman mythology), ''Sol Indiges'', or ''Sol'', was an early Roman deity of minor importance whose cult had petered out by the first century AD. ''Sol Invictus'', on the other hand, was a Syrian sun god whose cult was first promoted in Rome under Elagabalus, without success. Some fifty years later, on 25 December AD 274, the Roman emperor Aurelian did succeed to establish the cult of ''Sol Invictus'' as an official religion, alongside the traditional Roman cults. Although the Syrian origin of Sol Invictus is undisputed in the traditional view, there has never been cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vatican Necropolis
The Vatican Necropolis lies under the Vatican City, at depths varying between 5–12 metres below Saint Peter's Basilica. The Vatican sponsored archaeological excavations (also known by their Italian name ''scavi'') under Saint Peter's in the years 1940–1949 which revealed parts of a necropolis dating to Imperial times. The work was undertaken at the request of Pope Pius XI who wished to be buried as close as possible to Peter the Apostle. It is also home to the Tomb of the Julii, which has been dated to the third or fourth century. The necropolis was not originally one of the Catacombs of Rome, but an open air cemetery with tombs and mausolea. The Vatican Necropolis is not to be confused with the Vatican grottoes, the latter of which resulted from the construction of St. Peter's Church and is located on the ground level of the old Constantinian basilica. Origins of the necropolis The Vatican necropolis was originally a burial ground built on the southern slope of the Vatica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
