Roman Burial Places Throughout the Roman Empire we find many similarities in the way in which the dead were treated, although - as is to be expected - regional differences occur. Funerary rites served to ensure eternal life for the deceased. Ceremonies in which ancestors were remembered and honoured formed a part of daily life. For reasons of hygiene the burial places are found outside the city walls. This was already stipulated in the ancient Law of the Twelve Tables. The location created the opportunity for people to be remembered. The burial places are found along roads, so that people leaving or entering a city where confronted with the memory of the dead. Roman burial places show a considerable diversity in the types of graves and methods of burial. Tomb types range from the monumental tumulus and mausoleum to simpler burial chambers and interments in the soil. During the first two centuries AD cremation was the preferred burial method. It was forbidden to cremate the deceased within the city walls, so the body was taken in a procession to the burial place, where the cremation took place. The crematorium could be a bustum, a place where the deceased was burnt and buried. Often a special crematorium (ustrinum) was used. The ashes were placed in urns made of various materials, ranging from wooden boxes and terracotta vessels to golden receptacles. The urns of the poor were buried in the soil and covered with terracotta tiles or the upper part of an amphora. Sometimes a pipe led to the grave from the surface, so that offerings could be made, that reached the grave. The urns of those with more money were placed in the soil of the bustum, or in one of the countless niches of a funerary chamber (columbarium), that could be preceded by an open enclosure and could have an upper floor. Special structures also occur, such as a small pyramid or a miniature temple (aedicula). In the second century inhumation became increasingly popular, starting during the reign of Hadrian. It is difficult to tell whether this change was caused by spiritual or other reasons. In the early third century cremation had stopped. After the rise of Christianity this method of burial was continued, because of the belief that resurrection was impossible after cremation. The wealthy were buried in carved sarcophagi, sometimes with curves ("strigilated" sarcophagi), sometimes with scenes referring to the life of the deceased, or with mythological scenes. Other people were buried in simple terracotta sarcophagi that were placed in large niches (arcosolia) in the funerary chambers. However, most bodies were buried in the floor of the chamber or in a recess in the wall. In Rome the worst kind of burial was that in puticuli: huge trenches, in which the bodies of slaves and the poorest people were dumped. In order to escape this fate, many people (both slaves and free people) joined funerary societies (collegia funeraticia). The collegia owned columbaria that were financed through monthly contributions by the members. The members were assured of a place in the funerary chambers and of proper burial rites. The societies focused on a cult, often the Imperial cult. Inscriptions in the facade of the columbaria provide information about the owners of the building and record the area that was owned (width and depth in feet; formula: in fronte pedes [number], in agro pedes [number]). When the building belonged to a family it was usually also the burial place of the freedmen of the family, and the children of these freedmen (formula: libertis libertabusque suis posterisque eorum). The inscriptions show the fear that the tomb would pass to an heir outside the family (formula: h(oc) m(onumentum) h(eredem) e(xterum) n(on) s(equitur)). Also in the facade could be terracotta reliefs showing the profession of the deceased. Inside, inscriptions provided information about the individual people that were buried. Usually we read the name, family relations, and age at death. They begin with a dedication to the di Manes, the powers of the underworld (formula: D(is) M(anibus)). The interior of the tombs was often decorated with wall paintings and mosaics, and here statues and portraits of the deceased could be found. The columbarium was visited regularly by the family, and on these occasions banquets were held. For that purpose dining couches, wells, and ovens could be built.