Parish Find Location ⓘ
Anga

Find Location ⓘ
Anga church

Find Context Classification ⓘ
Church

Coordinate Find Location (lat) ⓘ
6376926

Coordinate Find Location (long) ⓘ
722183

Present Location ⓘ
Inside the church, secondarily used in the floor of the choir.

Present Location Classification ⓘ
Church
In-Loco

Coordinate Present Location (lat) ⓘ
6376926

Coordinate Present Location (long) ⓘ
722183

Year of Discovery ⓘ
1984

Material
Limestone

Height ⓘ
93

Width ⓘ
73

Lindqvist Type 
C/D (ca. 700-1000)
E (ca. 1000-1150)

Lindqvist Shape 
Unclear

Runic Inscription or not ⓘ
No

Context and Discovery ⓘ
The fragment was identified by Beata Böttger-Niedenzu in 1984. In 1982, she submitted her master’s thesis on Gotland’s picture stones to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, and during the years 1981 to 1985, she visited the Gotlandic rural churches, discovering not fewer than 38 previously unknown picture stones, which she published in a brief catalogue in 1988. The Anga fragment is situated in the floor of the apsidal choir, southeast of the altar, right between the altar’s southeastern corner and the wall. The convex side of the fragment borders the concave inner wall of the room. A second slab of almost identical shape, material and condition was identified by Sigmund Oehrl in 2013 in a corresponding position northeast of the altar (GP 575 Anga kyrka 2). Possibly, they originate from one and the same monument.

Anga church is one of the best-preserved Romanesque rural churches on Gotland, in its entirety built during the first half of the 13th century. The choir, where the picture stone fragment was incorporated into the floor, was probably erected around 1200. A runic grave slab (G 118) right next to the picture stone fragment Anga kyrka 1, however, dates to the 14th century.
GP 575 Anga kyrka 2

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
The fragment has approximately the shape of a quarter circle or quarter ellipse. The two straight sides are about 1.00 m and 0.90 m long. The convex side borders the concave inner wall of the apse. The limestone is relatively dark in color, a bit reddish, and partly black at its western edge. In its current condition, the surface is relatively even and smooth, but it also includes many deep structures.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
The trained eye will see the highly abraded remains of a once quite distinct bas-relief, even though no figurative elements can be determined with certainty. The deep structures are brighter in color and have a rough surface – these structures represent the background plane of the lost bas-relief. The raised parts (i.e., the actual decoration) are completely smooth.

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
No interpretation

Type and Dating ⓘ
The dimensions of the fragment and its bas-relief appear to indicate a late picture stone type, Lindqvist’s ʻAbschnittʼ C/D, less probable E, which means the fragment dates to between the 8th century and the 10th century (less probable during the 11th century). Because of the semi-circular shape and the almost identical material and condition of both stones from the church (GP 14 Anga kyrka 1 and GP 575 Anga kyrka 2), it could be suggested that they represent two parts, approximately two halves of the head of a mushroom-shaped picture stone, which, of course, remains hypothetical.
GP 14 Anga kyrka 1
GP 575 Anga kyrka 2

References ⓘ
Böttger-Niedenzu 1988, p. 3

 ⓘ
Fyndplats
Stenen påträffades 1984 i Anga kyrka, där den har blivit återanvänd i korgolvet.

Nuvarande förvaringsplats
Stenen är fortfarande inmurad i golvet i kyrkans kor, sydost om altaret.

Beskrivning
Fragmentet utgör ungefär en kvarts cirkel vars sidor är omkring 1.00 m respektive 0.90 m långa.

Stenen har varit dekorerad med bilder i låg relief, men eftersom ytan nötts ned av kyrkobesökarnas fötter är inga figurframställningar bevarade. Det finns många huggspår i den försänkta bakgrunden och blankpolerade rester av de upphöjda fälten.

Datering
700-talet eller mellan omkring 800 och 1100 e.Kr. (vikingatid).

Tolkning
Ingen tolkning.

SO

Title
GP 14 Anga kyrka 1

Fornsök ID ⓘ
L1977:4918

RAÄ ID ⓘ
Anga 2:4

Jan Peder Lamm ID
397