John hypatos and kommerkiarios of Amaseia (first half of the ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V or VIII); in the quarters: τ-σ.|δ-λ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
...ν.
ηυπτ
Sκμερ/
μσι/
[Ἰωά]ν[ν]ῃ ὑπάτῳ (καὶ) κωμερ(κιαρίῳ) Ἀμασί(ας)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V or VIII); in the quarters: τ-σ.|δ-λ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
...ν.
ηυπτ
Sκμερ/
μσι/
[Ἰωά]ν[ν]ῃ ὑπάτῳ (καὶ) κωμερ(κιαρίῳ) Ἀμασί(ας)
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.1280 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 4, no. 23.1. |
Translation
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰωάννῃ ὑπάτῳ καὶ κωμερκιαρίῳ Ἀμασίας.
Lord or Mother of God, help your servant John, hypatos and kommerkiarios of Amaseia.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 4: The East (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques (Open in Zotero)
- Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Open in Zotero)
- Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)
- Die Städte Kleinasiens im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert (Open in Zotero)
- Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (Open in Zotero)
- Η Μικρά Ασία των θεμάτων. Ἐρευνες πάνω στην γεωγραφική φυσιογνωμία και προσωπογραφία των βυζαντινών θεμάτων της Μικράς Ασίας (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
We have several ninth-century seals of kommerkiarioi of cities controlling the traffic of major rivers, such as the Hebros or the Axios in Europe (cf. N. Oikonomides, Hommes et Richesses II, 247). We assume that these were also the functions of the (otherwise unique) kommerkiarios of Amaseia.