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"Ancient Mysteries: Who Built the Catacombs?"

1. The catacombs are an elaborate maze of tunnels under __________ that contained nearly five million bodies.

A) Athens.
B) Paris.
C) Rome.
D) West Covina.

Act 1: Cities of Death

2. Most Romans, who were __________, preferred cremation, while ancient Christians and Jews of Rome insisted on burial.

A) Pagan.
B) Buddhist.
C) Muslim.
D) Jehovah's Witnesses.

3. Slot-like graves called "loculi," which is Latin for "__________," were cut into the walls and were large enough for one body each.

A) Big place.
B) Little place.
C) Death place.
D) Smelly place.

4. Many catacombs were named after __________.

A) The saints buried in them.
B) Roman emperors.
C) Ancient sports teams.
D) Favorite foods.

5. Catacombs were dug by family members of the deceased. True or false?

6. How did the early Christians protect the tombs?

A) By placing guards at the entrances.
B) By charging hefty admission prices for people to enter.
C) By inscribing a curse against grave robbers on the tombs' seals.
D) By designing the catacombs as a maze.

7. The catacombs were well lit, warm, and smelled of burning incense. True or false?

Act 2: Life and Death Underground

8. The earliest catacombs from the first century A.D. were probably __________.

A) Abandoned mines.
B) Ancient underground water tunnels.
C) Burial grounds for noble families beneath their land.
D) Subterranean Roman temples.

9. The catacombs became a place for ancient Christians to __________ and visit the saints and martyrs.

A) Worship.
B) Eat.
C) Marry.
D) Play board games.

10. Catacomb paintings showing people drinking wine and eating bread may be the origin of _______.

A) Roman orgies.
B) Reception dinners after weddings.
C) Take-out meals.
D) The Catholic mass.

11. Many of the painted scenes in the catacombs deal with resurrection and __________.

A) Punishment.
B) Salvation.
C) Judgment.
D) Hell.

12. Nearly all catacombs in Rome depict __________, a metaphor for Christ.

A) The Good Shepherd.
B) Cybil Shepherd.
C) The Smiling Farmer.
D) The Happy Fisherman.

13. The Christians carefully embalmed and mummified bodies before burial. True or false?

14. In late antiquity, men lived an average of __________ years.

A) 20-25.
B) 40-45.
C) 50-55.
D) 80-85.

15. The underground cemetery below Rome can be referred to as a "city of the dead," or __________.

A) Acropolis.
B) Minneapolis.
C) Necropolis.
D) Necrophilia.

Act 3: The Growing Necropolis

16. Which of the following supports the notion that the catacombs were not hiding places for early Christians trying to escape Roman soldiers?

A) The Christians had built separate tunnels as hiding places outside the walls of Rome.
B) The smell of the decomposing bodies would have been unbearable for people hiding.
C) Early Christians were good friends with many Roman soldiers and didn't need to hide from them.
D) Christians had specials rooms in their houses that served as hiding places.

17. Which of the following is a common death and resurrection scene found in catacomb paintings?

A) Adam and Eve.
B) Abraham and Isaac.
C) Jonah and the Whale.
D) Josie and the Pussycats.

18. Which of the following is a possible reason why catacomb paintings lack the refinement of Imperial Roman art?

A) Only Christian children were allowed to paint in the catacombs.
B) The terrible conditions in the catacombs prevented artists from staying for long periods of time.
C) Christian art supply stores sold inferior materials.
D) It was "un-Christian" to be a painter, so only amateurs were allowed to create the scenes.

Act 4: The Unknown Catacombs

19. Who, beside Christians, built catacombs in Rome?

A) The French.
B) Muslims.
C) Mormons.
D) Jews.

20. All of the following are common scenes in Jewish catacombs except:

A) Greek and Roman mythology.
B) Christ's crucifixion.
C) The Old Testament.
D) The menorah.

21. In 313 A.D., who declared Christianity a legal religion in the Roman empire?

A) Constantine.
B) Ovaltine.
C) Augustus.
D) Elvis.

22. During the Middle Ages, __________ were stolen from the catacombs in the belief that these "relics" contained magic properties.

A) Clothes.
B) Bibles.
C) Bones.
D) Paintings.

Act 5: Discovery

23. The first catacomb was discovered in __________ by workmen digging a cement mine near Rome.

A) 1578.
B) 1864.
C) 1918.
D) 1992.

24. All of the sixty miles of catacombs beneath Rome have been explored. True or false?

25. How did the early Christians view death?

A) With joy and expectation of the life to come.
B) With fear and trembling.
C) With much doubt, since they couldn't prove there even was an afterlife.
D) They weren't concerned with death, only with deeds accomplished on earth.
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