Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (19.2007(2010))

BANGANARTI

SUDAN

the curtain wall removed 4.50 m of
accumulations in four arbitrary layers. Two
phases of the curtain wall were distinguished.
The first one was 1.10m thick at the bottom
and 0.85 m at the top, the preserved part of
the wall being here 3.40m high. A semi-
circular buttress stood to a height of 2.20 m,
projecting about one meter from the outer
face. The wall was founded on yellow,
culturally sterile sand appearing 4.73 m
below the datum point on the threshold of
the Upper Church. The first course of bricks
of the buttress are just 10 cm higher and the
two structures are interlinked, proving their
simultaneous construction. The mud bricks
used for this phase are approx. 36 x 17-21 x
6-7 cm. The bondwork features alternately
headers and stretchers.


Fig. 10. Two phases of the curtain wall in
Sector VII. February 2007
(Photo M. Drzewiecki)

Three layers of a combined thickness of
0.32 m correspond to the first phase of the
wall and constitute evidence of a conflagration
of unknown proportions. The lowest is a
layer of burning approx. 3-4 cm thick
(charcoal sample 9/07 was taken for 14C
dating), followed by a layer of ashes about
17 cm thick and a layer of gray-brown sand
with potsherds (Reg. no. 226/07).
The wall of the second phase was
approximately 1.90 m thick and is preserved
to a height of 2.80 m. It is distinguished by
the brick size, three different kinds of bricks
having been used here: approx. 36 x 24 x
9 cm, approx. 48 x 24 x 9 cm and approx. 30
x 25 x 9 cm. The first size was noted in the
outer face of the wall explored in section 4,
while the other two were observed in
section 6, where it also proved possible to
distinguish some of the bricks forming
the core of the wall. Header-stretcher
bondwork was discerned. The top of the
wall in sections 4 and 5 was heavily
damaged by robbers’ pits which achieved
diameters of close to 1.80 m .
A correspondence between the phasing
of the curtain wall in this part of the sector
and in sections 1-2 cannot be established
for lack of data concerning the wall in
section 3 and the eastern end of section 4.
Archaeological layers accumulated
against the face of the second-phase wall
comprise gray sand with fragmented mud
bricks intercalated with brown sand also
containing fragments of mud brick. More
mud-brick fragments are accumulated
nearer to the wall. All layers contained
ceramic vessels. Red bricks occur
sporadically and only in the gray sand layers.
Lenses or small concentrations of burning
can be found occasionally. This kind of
stratigraphy is characteristic of a slow
accumulation of refuse and debris outside
the fortifications, which is characteristic of
medieval fortified settlements and forts.

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Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007