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The subterranean wonder of the Celtic Hypogeum [Italy]
Ancient Origins ^ | November 27, 2014 | M R Reese

Posted on 12/20/2015 1:05:09 PM PST by SunkenCiv

...Northern Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia... is located in the Eastern Alps, near Slovenia, and used to be an important regional power. Today, it is a quaint town, and many tourists are attracted to it as a medieval center. Julius Caesar founded Cividale in 50 B.C. The area had already been settled by the Veneti and Celts, but it was after the destruction of Aquileia and Iulium Carnicum that the town became known as Cividale and became the principal town of Friuli.

Within Cividale del Friuli is the Celtic Hypogeum -- a subterranean structure created for an unknown purpose. The Celtic Hypogeum consists of a series of underground passages, which have been divided into six chambers. The central chamber can be entered via a small, steep staircase. From there, the Hypogeum splits into three passageways leading to small rooms. Archaeologists have labeled the main chamber as chamber A, with the smaller chambers as B, C, D, and E.

A primordial technique was used to construct the hypogeum, as it was created by axe blows to the rock. Throughout the central chambers, passageways, and smaller rooms are niches and indentations of varying shapes and heights. Some scholars believe that the niches may have contained piles of bones, lending to the speculation that the Hypogeum was a burial site. Others believe that the site served as a jail, or place of imprisonment. There are further beliefs that the structure was used for religious ceremonies. Situated on the river Natisone, some believe that the Hypogeum began as a natural structure, which was then expanded upon. There is also a belief that some of the rooms functioned as tanks. Decorations found within the chambers include three supposed masks and three small pillars. These decorations lead to further speculation as to the purpose of the Hypogeum.

(Excerpt) Read more at ancient-origins.net ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: aquileia; celts; cividale; godsgravesglyphs; hypogeum; italy; iuliumcarnicum; slovenia
Entrance stairs in the main room of the Cividale Hypogeum. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Entrance stairs in the main room of the Cividale Hypogeum. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

1 posted on 12/20/2015 1:05:09 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...

2 posted on 12/20/2015 1:05:50 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Bunker


3 posted on 12/20/2015 1:19:29 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Was stationed in Aviano in the 70’s ...... consumed as much of the history as possible. Love that area at the foot of the Dolomites and the rest of the Alps.

Thanks for the read...


4 posted on 12/20/2015 1:22:57 PM PST by Squantos ( Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet ...)
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To: BenLurkin

Grain storehouse


5 posted on 12/20/2015 1:49:48 PM PST by VMI70
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To: Squantos

My pleasure!


6 posted on 12/20/2015 1:57:46 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: BenLurkin

Celt ping.


7 posted on 12/20/2015 2:33:11 PM PST by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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To: VMI70

:)


8 posted on 12/20/2015 2:55:56 PM PST by Bigg Red (Keep calm and Pray on.)
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To: SunkenCiv

bump


9 posted on 12/20/2015 2:57:08 PM PST by Albion Wilde ("Look, the establishment doesn't want me, because I don't need the establishment." --Donald Trump)
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To: SunkenCiv

VERY interesting. I never knew that before.
I had to look up hypogeum!


10 posted on 12/20/2015 3:29:13 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: Chainmail
The Celts were one of the originals of Europe and Celtic was one of the original European languages.
However, the Celts were eventually driven westward and landed in Ireland. Now they say speaking "the Irish."
11 posted on 12/20/2015 3:30:56 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: SunkenCiv

As with most constructs in human history it is either for food or alcohol. Fornicating is pretty high on the list too but why would you go way down ib to a dungeon......?


12 posted on 12/20/2015 3:36:29 PM PST by Organic Panic
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To: cloudmountain

I’d never heard of it before, either — not the term (it’s also used for monuments on Malta, I believe) but the Celtic origin of this one.


13 posted on 12/20/2015 3:55:12 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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recent topics:
14 posted on 12/20/2015 5:10:58 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: Organic Panic

I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a cavern to begin with, that was altered by the Celts, or merely reused by them long after whomever altered it.


15 posted on 12/20/2015 6:40:33 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv
I’d never heard of it before, either — not the term (it’s also used for monuments on Malta, I believe) but the Celtic origin of this one.

I learned about it in searching for the root languages of Europe. Celtic was one of them. But, the Teutonic, Greek and Latin languages survived in Europe and the Celtic language was forced to migrate and thereby disappear from the continent.

I've also visited Ireland a couple of times and heard "the Irish." It doesn't sound like ANYthing I had ever heard before.
But, I felt that way when I was in Serbia and attended a Mass (Roman Catholic, of course). The only thing I could understand was their version of Jesus Christ. The rest was jibberish to my ears.

16 posted on 12/20/2015 10:00:54 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: SunkenCiv

I guess we can rule out a man-cave since they didn’t have big screen TV’s back then.


17 posted on 12/21/2015 12:57:54 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker

The lack of big TVs probably explains those cave paintings.


18 posted on 12/21/2015 2:21:22 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Won’t you come in and see my etchings?


19 posted on 12/21/2015 2:33:20 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker

;’)


20 posted on 12/22/2015 1:40:00 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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