Canopy fragment of Sillègue
In 1890 an intact arch and three arch-fragments of the late 4th century were discovered in Sillègue (Kherbet-Madjouba) in Algeria. A cast of one of these fragments was added to the collection in Halle. It represents Daniel, one of the four „Great Prophets“ of the Old Testament, standing between two lions. The same image is shown on the other fragments. The intact arch has been decorated with fish- and cross-symbols. To this day, it is not known where the original four arches were intended to be placed. A small church, a baptistery and Christian graves were located nearby, but circumstances did not permit an accurate identification of the location. An ascription to the church as a superstructure (ciborium) of an altar, or an ascription to the baptistery as an superstructure of a baptismal font (piscina) seem possible. But the representations of Daniel are also reminiscent of funeral art and Daniel (resp. in the lion’s den) is a popular motif in arts and crafts of Northern Africa. Therefore, it does not seem possible to arrive at a precise decision on where the arches were to have been placed. The fragments remain isolated pieces at the present time.