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Christian procession with star/sun (?)  

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Original JPEG File

1920 × 1364 pixels (2.62 MP)

16.3 cm × 11.5 cm @ 300 PPI

326 KB

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Alternative files
Detail of star

Detail of star

311 KB

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Interior of the baptismal chamber in the ‘house church’ at Dura Europos, Yale University

Interior of the baptismal chamber in the ‘house church’ at Dura Europos, Yale University

178 KB

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Resource details

Resource ID

9390

Metadata
Default
Description
Further Sources

Source Title

Baptistery wall painting: Procession of women

City/Place

Dura Europos

Country/Region

Syria

Source date

ca. 240–45 A.D.

Dimensions

950 × 1400 mm

Categories

disciplines/culture/religion/Christianity, materials/paint, materials/plaster, object types/painting/mural/fresco, themes/universe/star(s), colors/red, colors/white

Current Location

Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CN, United States of America

Provenance

Excavated by Yale-French excavations, Dura-Europos, Syria (1928–37)

Reference

1932.1201c

Yale University Art Gallery

https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/34496

Description

Description by the Yale University Art Gallery:  "The Christian building at Dura-Europos is the world’s earliest known house-church. The most elaborate and ritually significant room in the building was the baptistery, where Christians welcomed members into their community through the sacrament of baptism. In this wall painting from the baptistery, which survives in three fragments (from left to right, 1932.1201a–c), several elegantly dressed women carry torches and bowls in the procession. Additional fragmentary figures from the north and east walls indicate that there were originally ten women depicted, moving from right to left through the space just as the initiates would have done. What they approach is unclear—possibly the empty sepulcher of Christ on Easter morning, or the tent of the heavenly bridegroom, adorned by two stars, perhaps representing angels. Located next to the baptismal font, the scene instructed initiates that they were entering into a new spiritual relationship with God."

The star visible on this fragment has ten rays radiating outwards.

Additional Information

The second-star representation (1932.1201a) is attached as an alternative file. 

The Christian Building (block M8) was excavated by Yale-French excavations.

Bibliography

Lisa R. Brody and Gail Hoffman, eds., Dura-Europos: Crossroads of Antiquity (Boston: McMullen Museum of Art, 2011), 41, 173, 333, no. 18, pl. 18, fig. 2.6, 10.3.

 

Katherine M Kiefer and Susan B. Matheson, Life in an Eastern Province: The Roman Fortress at Dura-Europos, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1982), no. 2.

 

Handbook of the Collections, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 270, ill.

 

Jennifer Chi and Sebastian Heath, eds., Edge of Empires: Pagans, Jews, and Christians at Roman Dura-Europos, exh. cat. (New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, 2011), 46, no. 24, fig. 2–7.

 

Clark Hopkins, The Discovery of Dura-Europos, ed. Bernard Goldman (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1979), 90–91, 97, excavation photo, ill.

 

Carl H. Kraeling and C. Bradford Welles, The Excavations at Dura-Europos (New Haven, Conn.: Dura-Europos Publications, 1967), 76–80, pls. 20 (color), 25, 27, 28, 44 (excavation photograph), 45:1, 45.2 (tracings).

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23 Inbound CC0 1.0 Universal Book, Web The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. No expiry date

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