Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (17.2005(2007))

OLD DONGOLA

SUDAN

stroyed, presumably by floodwaters; this
encumbers a fuller understanding of the
military character of the annex. It was
presumably part of the Dongolan fortifica-
tions, corresponding in time to the ex-
tension of the defenses in the end of the
12th and early 13th centuries, as well as
just before and in the course of the wars
with the Mamluks.
Dating B.II to the end of the 12th
century is grounded in the pottery
evidence originating from above the

church pavement in B.III. Fragmentary
plates with painted radial decoration and
bowls found in the fill under the floor are
typical of Post-Classic period ceramics9 and
cannot be dated later than c. AD 1200
[Fig. 10]. The fill could not have ac-
cumulated inside B.III before the blocking
of the northern and western doorways by
the fortified annex. Therefore, it is highly
probable that B.II was constructed after
the conflict with Ayyubid Egypt in AD
1172 and in response to the breaching of


Fig. 10. Pottery from B.III, layer below the church floor: bowls, Add. Oh.091, Add. Oh. 102', plates,
Add.Oh. 108, Add.0h.101 (Photo A. Obluski)

9 Adams, Ceramic Industries, II, op. cit., 495-501.

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