Leonidas notarios of the kommerkion of Thessalonica (eighth/ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (of indeterminate type); in the quarters: ΤΣ|ΔΛ. Linear border.
Κύριε/Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Linear border.
ΛΕΟΝΗΔ
ΝΟΤ/ΤΚΟ
ΜΕΡ/ΘΕΣΣ
ΑΛΟΝΗΚ
Λεονήδᾳ νοταρίῳ τοῦ κομερκίου Θεσσαλονήκης
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (of indeterminate type); in the quarters: ΤΣ|ΔΛ. Linear border.
Κύριε/Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Linear border.
ΛΕΟΝΗΔ
ΝΟΤ/ΤΚΟ
ΜΕΡ/ΘΕΣΣ
ΑΛΟΝΗΚ
Λεονήδᾳ νοταρίῳ τοῦ κομερκίου Θεσσαλονήκης
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.1031 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 21.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 18.51. |
Translation
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Λεονήδᾳ νοταρίῳ τοῦ κομερκίου Θεσσαλονήκης.
Lord or Theotokos, help your servant Leonidas notarios of the kommerkion of Thessalonica.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Βυζαντιακὰ μολυβδόβουλλα τοῦ ἐν ἈΘήναις Ἐθνικοῦ Νομισματικοῦ Μουσείου (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
- Silk Trade and Production in Byzantium from the Sixth to the Ninth Century: The Seals of Kommerkiarioi (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Bleisiegel in Berlin (West) (Open in Zotero)
- Le kommerkion d’Abydos, Thessalonique et le commerce bulgare du 9e siècle (Open in Zotero)
- Recherches sur les douanes à Byzance: L’octava, le "kommerkion" et les commerciares (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Les plus anciens recueils des miracles de Saint Démétrius et la pénétration des Slaves dans les Balkans (Open in Zotero)
- L’éparque de Thessalonique: les origines d'une institution administrative (VIIIe-IXe siècles) (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
This seal, to our knowledge unique, would indicate that the kommerkion of Thessalonica was a developed service in which the kommerkiarios had to be assisted by notarioi (not mentioned in the treatise of Philotheos). One may assume that such notarioi would have existed as well in other kommerkia, but, since they were low-ranking officials, they would not have a personal boulloterion. We must mention here the seal of an archon tou kommerkiou of Thessalonica (Sig., 729 = Konstantopoulos, no. 3), but its reading seems too uncertain to serve as the basis of any theory concerning the organization of the kommerkion. Also unhelpful is Konstantopoulos no. 7, which in fact reads protonotarios and kommerkiarios (not protonotarios tou kommerkiou).