Tile with the representation of the Prophet Daniel

In 2015, at the Capidava fortress, during archaeological investigations carried out in the context of a restoration project of the fortification, a tile decorated with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic representations was discovered. At the center of the composition there is a male figure, bearing a nimbus and with his arms raised toward the sky, in a posture of prayer. He is flanked on the left by a zoomorphic representation (a lion) and on the right, probably, by another figure, of which only the hands have been preserved. It is assumed that the scene illustrates the biblical story of the Prophet Daniel in the lions’ den, from the Old Testament; in Paleochristian iconography, he is universally depicted in the orant posture. Probably a local production.

Dimensions: height 58 cm; wide 38.5 cm; thickness 2.2 cm.

Discovery location: Capidava fortress (Topalu commune, Constanța County), during archaeological excavations from 2015.

Collection of the National Museum of History and Archaeology in Constanța; Inv. no. 50.614.

Dating: 6^th centuries AD.

Bibliography: Radu Petcu, Ingrid Petcu-Levei, Mărturii creștine din Dobrogea antică – O țiglă cu reprezentarea Profetului Daniel descoperită la Capidava (secolul al VI-lea p.Chr.) / Christian testimonies from ancient Dobrudja – A roof tile with the representation of the Prophet Daniel discovered at Capidava (6^th century AD) (MINAC inv. No. 50614). In: A. C. Hamat, Șt. Georgescu, T. Potârniche (eds.), Comori Pontica. Obiecte din colecția Muzeului de Istorie Națională și Arheologie din Constanța / Pontic Treasures. Artefacts from the collections of the Museum of National History and Archaeology from Constanța, Mega, Cluj-Napoca, 2024, p. 68-74.