Catacombs (subterranean cemeteries) served as sites of burial, memory, and cult on the outskirts of some cities in late antiquity. Despite the long, rich history of catacomb exploration and scholarship, many questions still remain about day-to-day affairs at these sites when they were active cemeteries. Who dug the catacombs, made the paintings and inscriptions, and managed the ongoing care of the dead? How did they organize themselves, and what role did they play in shaping commemorative traditions? This presentation outlines the problems that face any study of catacomb material and the range of methods Kreiger employs to learn more about the workers who made the catacombs and their contents.

Jenny R. Kreiger is the Emeline Hill Richardson/Samuel H. Kress Foundation /Helen M. Woodruff Fellowship of the Archaeological Institute of America Pre-Doctoral Rome Prize Fellow (year one of a two-year fellowship) in Ancient Studies at the American Academy in Rome and a PhD candidate in the Interdepartmental Program of Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of Michigan.