nscriptions are
characterized by symbols and formulae peculiar to the Christian creed;
the idea of another life, a life beyond the grave, usually prevails in
them.

The symbols found in connection with the funereal inscriptions are of
three kinds; the larger proportion of these refer to the profession of
Christianity, its doctrines and its graces. A second class, of a
partly secular description, only indicate the trades of the deceased,
and the remainder represent proper names: thus a lion must be read as
a proper name, _Leo_; an ass, _Onager_; a dragon, _Dracontius_. Of the
first kind the most usually met with is the monogram of Christ. The
other symbols generally in use are the ship, the emblem of the church;
the fish, the emblem of Christ, the palm, the symbol of martyrdom. The
anchor represented hope in immortality; the dove, peace; the stag
reminded the faithful of the pious aspiration of the Psalmist; the
horse was the emblem of strength in the faith; the hunted hare, of
persecution; the peacock and the phoenix stood for signs of the
resurrection. Christ, as the good pastor, was also introduced in the
epitaph. Even personages of the Pagan mythology were introduced, which
the Christians employed in a concealed sense, as Orpheus, enchanting
the wild beasts with the music (see page 701) of his lyre, was the
secret symbol of Christ as the civilizer of men leading all nations to
the faith. Ulysses, fastened to the mast of his ship, was supposed to
present some faint resemblance to the crucifixion.

In classifying the Roman inscriptions, M. de Rossi has adopted the
following divisions. The first comprises those inscriptions only which
contain some express note of time, and are therefore susceptible of
exact chronological arrangement. The second comprises the select
inscriptions, viz.: first, sacred and historical ones, and next those
which, either by testimony, by forms, or by symbols, illustrate the
doctrines, the worship, or the morals of the Christians. The third,
the purely topographical, assigns each inscription its proper place
among the ancient localities of Rome. This comprises also inscriptions
of unknown or uncertain locality, as well as inscriptions of spurious
origin or doubtful authenticity.

In considering the chronological arrangements of Christian
inscriptions, it is important to keep in view that in the earlier
centuries the Christians kept note of time either by the years of the
bishop, or by some