Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (16.2004(2005))

OLD DONGOLA

SUDAN

P 36/SW6S) [see Fig. 10 on p. 267 above].
Very poorly preserved fragments reveal
Herod seated on a throne, soldiers with
raised swords and the bodies of the mas-
sacred "innocents".
The newly discovered paintings were
evidently executed by the same painting
workshop that was responsible for the
murals in the rest of the Annex. A com-
parative analysis of the paintings leaves no
doubt as to this. The highly linear, yet
dynamic representations are paralleled in
terms of iconography and style by other

murals in this annex. Indeed, paintings by
the same 'hand' can be found also in the
Northwestern Annex of the monastery.
There, however, they were but a late ad-
dition to the earlier wall decoration, which
was dated to the second half of the 11th
century,13 while in the annex now being
excavated they were the main and only
painted decoration,14 executed in the 12th
century, if the style is anything to go by.15
The composition of the figures, arrange-
ment of heads, hands, wings speak in favor
of this dating, as does the depicted motion


Fig. 11. Full view of the preserved murals on the south wall of roam 6 in the SW Annex
(Photo H. Pietras)

13 M. Martens-Czarnecka, "Suggestions on the dating of some murals from the Monastery in Old Dongola", EtTrav XIX
(2001), 217-236.
14 Two and more plaster coatings could be discerned on some of the walls of rooms 2, 3 and 4 of this annex, yet they had all
disappeared under the last coating bearing the discussed painted decoration.
15 Martens-Czarnecka, "Stylistic homogeneity...", loc. cit.

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