Theophilos metropolitan of Ankyra (late twelfth century)
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.3333 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 29 mm |
| Field diameter | 20 mm |
| Condition | Rusted. It looks as if this specimen has been reused. |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 4, no. 2.3. Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 339. |
Obverse
St. Peter on the left and St. Paul on the right facing, meeting each other, and clasping hands. Incsription in column at left: |.ε|τ|ρ, : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) [Π]έτρ(ος). Inscription at right: |πα|υ|λ, : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Παῦλ(ος). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
κ̅εβ,θ,
τσδ
.εοφι μ̅ρ̅ο
.ολιτ,αγ
..ρ.
Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δού(λῳ) [Θ]εοφίλ(ῳ) μ(ητ)ρο[π]ολίτ(ῃ) Ἀγ[κύ]ρ(ας)
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Θεοφίλῳ μητροπολίτῃ Ἀγκύρας.
Lord, help your servant Theophilos, metropolitan of Ankyra.
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.3333 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 29 mm |
| Field diameter | 20 mm |
| Condition | Rusted. It looks as if this specimen has been reused. |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 4, no. 2.3. Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 339. |
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, volume 4: The East
- Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae
- Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
- Die Städte Kleinasiens im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin, vol. 5, L’Église
- Galatien und Lykaonien
- Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium
Commentary
Laurent dated this seal to the early eleventh century. We place it in the late twelfth, because we find the letter B with two complete loops, that reappears at this time, as well as the ligature in a form absent from the 1030s to the third quarter of the 1170s or so. It is not certain whether Theophilos ever set foot in his see (which was then occupied by the Turks and was empty of Christians) or he was a titular metropolitan, living in Constantinople.