Nuove ricerche nella catacomba di S. Ippolito sulla via Tiburtina (tra archeologia cristiana e storia del Novecento)

The most important result of the systematic survey of the St. Hippolytus catacomb is the discov- ering of a region, until now never studied. Here we propose an unpublished presentation of this cemetery area, datable in development to the mid 4th century, which has provided new topograph- ical, epigraphic and iconographic acquisitions. This new region is interesting not only because its novelty, but also because of its most recent history: in the years of First and Second World Wars, underground galleries served as air-raid shelters and makeshift refuges. The catacomb of St. Hippolytus is strongly related to the events that marked the life of the Ro- man district Tiburtino / St. Lorenzo during the two great conflicts of the twentieth century. This second aspect of the study, still little investigated, offers the chance for new researches also in other catacombs - in Rome and elsewhere – that were deeply involved in war events.