Necropolis

A necropolis (plural: necropolises or necropoleis) is a large cemetery or burying-place (from Greek nekropolis "city of the dead"). Apart from the occasional application of the word to modern cemeteries outside large towns, the term is chiefly used of burial grounds near the sites of the centers of ancient civilizations.

History and purpose

The oldest necropolis in the world is probably the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni in Paola, Malta which dates back to 2500 BC.

Necropolises were built for many reasons. Sometimes their origin was purely religious: the Valley of the Kings in Egypt is a prime example. Other cultures created necropolises in response to prohibitions on burials within city limits: especially noteworthy and rich of artpieces are those from the Etruscan civilization found in southern Tuscany and northern Lazio regions of Italy. In the Roman Empire, roads immediately outside towns therefore came to be lined with funerary monuments. Examples of this kind of necropolis can be found on the Appian Way just outside Rome and at the Alyscamps in Arles, France.

During the 19th century, necropolises enjoyed a revival spurred by the Victorian fashion for large, elaborate memorials.

A modern-day example of a necropolis may be Colma, California. This suburb of San Francisco has been used for decades to bury the dead of San Francisco, as well as those of other nearby towns. The citizens had felt it necessary to bury the dead outside of city limits, and perhaps out of sight as well. Colma recently has become more of a working-class suburb, but the dead still outnumber the living in this small town.

The word is often used with a different connotation in fantasy literature; for instance, it might refer to a city populated by zombies or other undead creatures.