A structure with many small compartments or recesses, historically used as a dovecote or to hold urns containing cremated remains.
From Latin 'columba' (dove) plus '-arium' (place). Originally referred to a Roman building designed for keeping pigeons; later reapplied to structures holding funerary urns because of their similar compartmented design.
The Romans built columbariums both for pigeons and the dead, and archaeologists still find them—these structures are time capsules showing us that Romans valued keeping pigeons for food, sport, and messaging, similar to how we use them today!
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