John kommerkiarios of Seleukeia (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of St. Nicholas blessing with his right hand and in his left hand holding a book decorated with dots. On either side, traces of a vertical inscription: |ΝΚ|Ο : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ν[ι]κό[λ](αος). Border of dots.
Obverse
Bust of St. Nicholas blessing with his right hand and in his left hand holding a book decorated with dots. On either side, traces of a vertical inscription: |ΝΚ|Ο : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ν[ι]κό[λ](αος). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
Θ̅ΚΕ
,Ι̅Κ
..ΡΚΙΑ
.ΣΕΛΕΥ
ΚΙΑΣ
Θ(εοτό)κε β(οήθει) Ἰω(άννῃ) κου[με]ρκια[ρ(ίῳ)] Σελευκίας
Accession number | BZS 1955.1.2401 |
---|---|
Diameter | 26.0 mm; field: 20.0 mm |
Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 6.18a. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Ἰωάννῃ κουμερκιαρίῳ Σελευκίας.
Mother of God, help John kommerkiarios of Seleukeia.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 5: The East (continued), Constantinople and Environs, Unknown Locations, Addenda, Uncertain Readings (Open in Zotero)
- Le livre du préfet; ou, L’édit de l’empereur Léon le Sage sur les corporations de Constantinople (Open in Zotero)
- Das Eparchenbuch Leons des Weisen (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
From the seals of kommerkiarioi, it is evident that its connections by land and sea made Seleukeia a center for the importation and distribution of silk, as noted in the Book of the Prefect, 5.1.