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Nicholas horreiarios of Panormos (tenth/eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. Nicholas blessing and holding a book. Vertical inscription: .|Ν|ΙΚΟΛ: [Ὁ ἅ(γιος)] Νικόλ(αος). Border of dots. 

Reverse

Inscription of six lines. Border of dots.

+ΚΕ,
ΤΣˋ
ΝΗΚΟΛΑ,
ΟΡΗΑΡΙ,
ΠΑΝΟΡ
ΜΟΥ

Κ(ύρι)ε β(οήθει) τῷ σῷ δ(ούλῳ) Νηκολά(ῳ) ὁρηαρί(ῳ) Πανόρμου

Obverse

Bust of St. Nicholas blessing and holding a book. Vertical inscription: .|Ν|ΙΚΟΛ: [Ὁ ἅ(γιος)] Νικόλ(αος). Border of dots. 

Reverse

Inscription of six lines. Border of dots.

+ΚΕ,
ΤΣˋ
ΝΗΚΟΛΑ,
ΟΡΗΑΡΙ,
ΠΑΝΟΡ
ΜΟΥ

Κ(ύρι)ε β(οήθει) τῷ σῷ δ(ούλῳ) Νηκολά(ῳ) ὁρηαρί(ῳ) Πανόρμου

Accession number BZS.1947.2.126
Diameter 20.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 3, no. 62.3.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Νηκολάῳ ὁρηαρίῳ Πανόρμου.

Lord, help your servant Nicholas, horreiarios of Panormos.

Commentary

Today Panormos is Bandirma, east of Kyzikos (because of the dates of our seals, it cannot be the Sicilian Panormos = Palermo). The city has long been famous as a center of exports of agricultural produce, and this shows in the numerous seals of horrearioi that are preserved. It seems that the original name was Panarmos (this seal, BZS.1958.106.2266) and was transformed in Greek as Panormos because of a false etymology.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 3: West, Northwest, and Central Asia Minor and the Orient (Open in Zotero)