UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Ancient Civilizations of Africa
Houses of more than one storey were perhaps intended to be used for
defensive purposes. Some districts had piped water. House walls of ashlar
stone have been found on the islands at the Second Cataract. In northern
Nubia villages were surrounded by walls to protect the inhabitants from
Arab raiders. Sometimes the villagers built up communal stores against
siege. Near the centre of the village stood the church.
Sacred buildings, with a few rare exceptions, were built of unbaked
bricks. Only in the cathedrals of Qasr Ibrim, Faras and Dongola were the
walls made of stone or burnt bricks. Most churches were built in the
basilical style, but cruciform or central-plan churches are sometimes found
in Nubian architecture. The decoration of the firstperiod, that is, until
the end of the seventh century, can only be deduced from the monumental
cathedrals mentioned above.
Except for parts of converted pagan buildings, for example at Faras,
the decoration was of sandstone and repeated the traditional scroll-work
pattern borrowed by Meroitic art from the hellenistic art of the Roman
east. Mention should be made of the beautiful sculptured volutes of the
foliated capitals. Icons painted on wooden panels or carved were probably
used at that time as ritual images.
The oldest monuments of Christian art in Nubia are powerfully influenced
by Coptic Egypt. 49 This is chiefly shown by their subjects, e.g.
the frieze of doves or eagles recalling their images on Coptic stelae. 50
From the eighth century onwards Nubian churches were decorated with
fresco secco paintings. Thanks to the Faras discoveries of 1961-4, it is
possible, from more than 120 mural paintings in perfect condition, including
portraits of bishops whose dates of office can be found in the List
of Bishops, to deduce a general evolution of style in Nubian paintings, 51
which is confirmed by fragments of murals from other Nubian churches.
Faras was at that time undoubtedly the artistic centre at least of northern
Nubia. 52 The style of the paintings found north of Faras at Abdallah
Nirqi 53 and Tamit, 54 and south of it at Sonqi Tino, 55 is definitely provincial
by comparison with the great works at Faras.
From the beginning of the eighth century to the middle of the ninth,
49. P. DuBourguet, 1964b, pp. 22iff.;K. Wessel, 1964, pp. 223ff.; 1963; P. DuBourguet,
1964a, pp. 25-48.
50. J. M . Plumley, 1970, pp. 132-3, Figs 109-19; N. Jansma and M . de Grooth, pp. 2-9;
L. Török, 1971.
51. K. Michalowski, 1964, pp. 79-94; see also note 39 above.
52. K. Michalowski, 1966.
53. A. Klasens, 1967, pp. 8sff.; L. Castiglione, 1967, pp. 14-19; P. Van Moorsel, 1966,
pp. 297-316; 1967, pp. 388-92; 1970, pp. 103-10; idem, Actas del VIII Congreso Internacional
de Arqueología Cristiana, Barcelona, 1972, pp. 349-95; P. Van Moorsel, J. Jacquet
and H. Schneider.
54. Archaeological Mission to Egypt of the University of Rome, Rome, 1967.
55. S. Donadoni and G. Vantini, pp. 247-73; S. Donadoni and S. Curto, 1968, pp. 123fr;
S. Donadoni, 1970, pp. 209-18.
336