Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (12.2000(2001))

OLD DONGOLA

SUDAN

(Numbers 22,15-35), depicted in six
subsequent scenes (upper part damaged),
standing figure of the Archangel Michael
with a founder (surface worn), the Holy
Trinity in a mandorla with Four Living
Creatures and a figure of a bishop as the
founder, and an Archangel (both in
excellent condition). These murals, which
cover all the available space in the rest of
the room, seem to originate from a slightly
later period than the magnificent figure of
the Archangel Michael with the Trinity on
the east wall, as they were painted on top
of the second layer of plaster coating,
applied only in places that were apparently
regarded as worthy of repair. (The
remaining parts of the walls appear to have
been whitewashed only at this time.)
Some, Balaam's story included, are
contemporary with figures of Christ and
the Apostles thought to date from the 12th
century.18)
The two stages in the painting are
paralleled by observations of an
architectural nature, testifying to the
gradual evolution of the idea of turning the
space into a place of worship. The barrel
vault of room 13 is curiously constructed
with the eastern part some 30 cm higher
than the remaining (bigger) part. The
difference in heights is managed by a rib of
the arcade. Such a construction suggests
that the room was vaulted in two stages
and that originally only the eastern part
had a roof that corresponded to the floor
level of the upper floor of the Northern
Building, while the rest of the space
remained open. It was at this point that the
Archangel and the two other paintings
(Warrior saint19) and Holy Virgin) were
painted on the eastern and the upper part

of the south wall. The room furniture,
added obviously later than the paving and
the original plastering of the interior,
consisted of a mudbrick haikal-screen and
a pulpit located against the south wall, as
well as a wall (with narrow entrance)
screening off its western part, all
fragmentarily preserved. Therefore, all the
elements required of a church interior were
present, except for the altar, possibly
wooden, of which no traces have been
observed {Fig. 7). The excavations also
cleared the space between the west wall of
the Monastery and Building NW-S,
including Room 26 with intact vault.
Above it, on the upper floor, a small
staircase was built later, leading most
probably to the roof. The fill in Room 26
revealed two major occupation levels: Two
meters above the original floor, a paving of
bricks was found on top of a rubble
deposit. At this time the room was entered
through a hole above the original doorway
made in the south wall dividing it from
passage-way 28B (which was most
probably also paved at this time and on
a similar level).20) The fill consisted of
ashes and dust mixed with considerable
amounts of potsherds of mostly Terminal
Christian date, therefore the room must
have been used for domestic purposes
already after the Monastery had been
destroyed in the late 13th century.
Yet another discovery appertaining to
the last period of occupation of the
Annex is a set of Late Christian mud-
stoppers and potsherds found by the
western facade of the enlarged building,
in association with a late staircase or
ramp (L.l-2) leading from the outside to
the upper floor (or open terrace) over

18) For a discussion of the dating of the murals, cf. Martens-Czarnecka, ET 19, in print.
19) Cf Jakobielski, PAM XI, op. cit., 208.
20) For previous work in this part, cf. Jakobielski, PAM IX, op. cit., I60f.

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