place · L0331
Vigna Randanini Catacombs קטקומבות היהודים בוינייה רנדניני
The Jewish catacombs of the Vigna Randanini, discovered by accident on the Randanini estate in 1859 — one of only two Jewish catacombs in Rome still accessible. Some 700 meters of galleries under about 18,000 square meters between the Via Appia and the Via Appia Pignatelli, with four painted chambers and a vestibule reusing an earlier pagan building. Its hundreds of epitaphs — Greek and Latin, carved with menorot and Torah scrolls, naming officers like the grammateus and archon — are a core block of the Jewish inscriptions of Rome (Jewish Inscriptions of Rome (JIWE II)), the community Chazal knew as the kehilla of the imperial capital.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- קטקומבות היהודים בוינייה רנדניני
- Also known as
- Jewish catacombs of the Vigna Randanini, Via Appia Jewish catacombs
III. Where
- Modern location
- Via Appia Pignatelli, between the second and third miles of the Appian Way, Rome, Italy
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| The catacomb was discovered in 1859 on the Randanini property, with evidence of earlier pillaging, and remains in situ beneath private land, managed with the Parco Archeologico dell'Appia Antica; it is one of only two Jewish catacombs in Rome that can still be visited. The complex covers roughly 18,000 square meters with about 700 meters of galleries, four frescoed chambers in late-imperial style, and an above-ground vestibule reusing an earlier pagan structure with a black-and-white mosaic floor. | archaeology | ★★★★★ | |
| The epitaphs from Vigna Randanini — documented in David Noy's corpus of the Jewish inscriptions of Rome (Jewish Inscriptions of Rome (JIWE II)) — record the offices, occupations, and languages of the Roman Jewish community: officials such as Castricius the grammateus (scribe of the congregation) and various archons, mostly writing in Greek with some Latin, under carved menorot, shofarot, and open Torah scrolls. They are primary evidence for how the Jews of Rome organized themselves congregation by congregation. | archaeology external | ★★★★☆ |
|
| The catacomb's period of use is conventionally dated to the second through fourth centuries CE on the style of its painted rooms and its epigraphy, with radiocarbon results extending activity toward the fifth century. As with all the Roman catacombs, absolute dates for individual galleries are approximate. | archaeology | ★★★★☆ |
Referenced by: Jewish Inscriptions of Rome (JIWE II)