John hypatos and eparch of Italy (seventh/eighth century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin with Christ before her; crosses on either side. Circular inscription between two linear borders.
....οκε...τυισουβοηθητσδουλ
[Θεοτ]όκε [σύν] τῷ υἱῷ σου, βοήθη τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Linear border.
.ν
νηυπτ
επρ
χιτλ
...
[Ἰ]ωάννῃ ὑπάτῳ (καὶ) ἐπάρχῳ Ἰταλ[ίας]
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin with Christ before her; crosses on either side. Circular inscription between two linear borders.
....οκε...τυισουβοηθητσδουλ
[Θεοτ]όκε [σύν] τῷ υἱῷ σου, βοήθη τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Linear border.
.ν
νηυπτ
επρ
χιτλ
...
[Ἰ]ωάννῃ ὑπάτῳ (καὶ) ἐπάρχῳ Ἰταλ[ίας]
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.2768 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 29.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 2.1. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε σύν τῷ υἱῷ σου, βοήθη τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰωάννῃ ὑπάτῳ καὶ ἐπάρχῳ Ἰταλίας.
Theotokos, with your Son, help your servant John hypatos and eparch of Italy.
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)
- Les sceaux byzantins du Médaillier Vatican (Open in Zotero)
- A Collection of Dated Byzantine Lead Seals (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Zacos-Veglery dated this seal to the seventh century, but the presence of a circular inscription on the obverse suggests that the specimen could well date from the eighth century (see, e.g. Oikonomides, Dated Seals, no. 35). We understand ἔπαρχος as praetorian prefect.
The name “Italy” was used for the top imperial commanders of the Byzantine part of the peninsula, such as the praetorian prefects and the exarchs (sixth to eighth century) or the katepano (tenth or eleventh). The last attested praetorian prefect of Italy dates from 639 (Brown, Gentlemen, 11 and note 21) but we have at least two seals, this and BZS.1947.2.95, which seem to attest that the institution survived past that date. We prefer to interpret the seals thus rather than supposing (with Laurent, Vatican, no. 99) that ἔπαρχος is a mistake for ἔξαρχος.