Parish Find Location 
Anga

Find Location 
Anga church, floor in the choir apse, north-east of the altar.

Find Context Classification 
Church

Coordinate Find Location (lat) 
6376926

Coordinate Find Location (long) 
722183,5

Parish Present Location 
Anga

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 
2013

Material 
Limestone

Height 
90

Width 
85

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

Lindqvist Shape 
Tall stone

Iconographic Keywords 
triangle 

Runic Inscription or not 
No

Secondary Inscription or Not 
No

Context and Discovery 
The picture stone fragment GP 14 Anga kyrka 1 was identified by Beata Böttger-Niedenzu in 1984. Böttger-Niedenzu inspected all Gotlandic rural churches during the years 1981 to 1985, discovering no fewer than 38 previously unknown picture stones, which she published in a brief catalogue in 1988. GP 14 Anga kyrka 1 is situated in the floor of the apsidal choir, southeast of the altar, between the altar’s southeastern corner and the wall. The convex side of the fragment just borders the concave inner wall of the room. A second picture stone fragment, Anga kyrka 2, which is of almost identical shape, material and condition, was identified by Sigmund Oehrl in 2013 in corresponding position northeast of the altar. Possibly, both fragments 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 fragments were incorporated into the floor, was probably erected around 1200. A runic grave slab (G 118) right next to the picture stone fragment GP 14 Anga kyrka 1, however, dates to the 14th century.

SO
GP 14 Anga kyrka 1

Measurements, Material and Condition 
The fragment has more-or-less the shape of a quarter circle or rather a quarter ellipse. The two straight sides are about 0.90 m and 0.85 m long. The convex side borders the concave inner wall of the apse. The limestone is relatively dark in color, a bit reddish. In its current condition, the surface is relatively even and smooth, but it also includes many deep structures.

SO

Description of Ornament and Images 
Trained eyes 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 smoothed. The only describable remains are a small, engraved triangle and possible parts of band-shaped elements.

SO

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 between the 8th century and the 10th century (less probably, 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 Anga kyrka 2), it could be suggested that they represent two parts, approximately two halves of a mushroom-shaped picture stone’s head, which, of course, remains hypothetical.

SO
GP 14 Anga kyrka 1

References 
GR 11, p. 228.

 
Fyndplats
Stenen påträffades 2013 i Anga kyrka, där den har blivit återanvänd i korgolvet.

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

Beskrivning
Fragmentet utgör ungefär en kvarts cirkel vars sidor är omkring 0.90 cm respektive 0.85 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 575 Anga kyrka 2

ATA