John vestarches, judge of the Velum and of the Thrakesioi (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin orans. Sigla: ΘΥ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Traces of a circular inscription along the upper circumference. Border of dots.
θ.....σδ
Θ(εοτό)[κε β(οή)θ(ει) τ]ῳ σῷ δ(ούλῳ)
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. Border of dots
+ιR.
σταρχη
κριτητ
Rηλκαι
τνθρα
κησι,
Ἰω(άννῃ) β[ε]στάρχῃ, κριτῇ τοῦ βήλου καὶ τῶν Θρᾳκησίω(ν)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin orans. Sigla: ΘΥ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Traces of a circular inscription along the upper circumference. Border of dots.
θ.....σδ
Θ(εοτό)[κε β(οή)θ(ει) τ]ῳ σῷ δ(ούλῳ)
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. Border of dots
+ιR.
σταρχη
κριτητ
Rηλκαι
τνθρα
κησι,
Ἰω(άννῃ) β[ε]στάρχῃ, κριτῇ τοῦ βήλου καὶ τῶν Θρᾳκησίω(ν)
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.196 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 20.0 mm; field: 18.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 2.15. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῳ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰωάννῃ βεστάρχῃ, κριτῇ τοῦ βήλου καὶ τῶν Θρᾳκησίων.
Mother of God, help your servant John vestarches, judge of the Velum and of the Thrakesioi.
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)
- Constantini Porphyrogeniti De cerimoniis aulae byzantinae (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional, and Social Survey of the Opsikion and Tagmata, c. 580-900 (Open in Zotero)
- Theophanis Chronographia (Open in Zotero)
- L’histoire et la géographie de la région de Smyrne entre les deux occupations turques (1081-1317), particulièrement au XIIIe siècle (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- “Thrakien” und “Thrakesion” (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
We know the eleventh-century seal of a certain John vestarches, grand chartoularios, judge of the Velum and of the Thrakesion who could be identical to the owner of the present seal: Izvestija of the Bulgarian Archaeological Institute 8 (1935) 722-33.