Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

History

Major Professor

Davide Tanasi, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Denise Cali, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jonathan Scott Perry, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Nicole Denzey Lewis, Ph.D.

Keywords

Late Antiquity, Digital Archaeology, Material Culture, Rome, Mortuary

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the lengthy history of the investigations into the catacombs of Sicily and Malta. These investigations, in some cases, began as early as the 17th century. They have maintained the intrigue of archaeologists beginning in the late 19th century. In doing so, these spaces have amassed truly remarkable amounts of data and of interpretations of that data. This legacy data has proved simultaneously a barrier and an entrance to understanding these complexes. While they are valuable for descriptions of the spaces prior to mutilations and interventions as well as descriptions of evidence no longer extant due to a myriad of causes, they also pose significant difficulties in terms of modern interpretation. With significant heterogeneity in terms of language, means of description, interpretations, and much more, the large amount of data needs to be standardized for it to be comprehensible and applicable.

This data often highlights a major body of evidence, that which pertains to religion in the catacombs. Historically, they have been known as Christian or Jewish spaces. However, in recent years, there has been a trend encouraging a more nuanced interpretation of the religious affiliations of these sites, recognizing the role of hybridity and co-production of religion, highlighting the value in understanding the interactions of these communities in both a more abstract notion, such as how they influence and share iconography, but also through more direct contact in these spaces through shared burial contexts.

This project utilizes the case studies of the Catacombs of St. Lucy in Syracuse, Sicily as well as the Catacombs of St. Paul in Rabat, Malta to exemplify the applicability and efficacy of techniques regarding data to craft a more complete narrative of the religious communities of these spaces. Emphasizing local context and lived religion, this project utilizes frescoes, motifs, tomb typologies, architectural features and more to complete the narrative. In regard to methodology, this project applies the methodology of datafication and also operates within the framework of a recent trend, the archaeology of archaeology, enabling this research to confront issues of heterogeneity amongst evidence, both material and digital. By using these methods to explore legacy data and to structure it into a workable database, trends in these catacombs become more visible and a more in-depth understanding of the religious influences and interaction is possible.

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