Niketas Kerykites vestarches (eleventh/twelfth century)
Obverse
Bust of St Niketas holding the martyr's cross before him. Inscription on either side: |Ν|ΙΚ|Η|Τ,: ὁ ἅ(γιος) Νικήτ(ας). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
ΣΡΑΓ,
ΝΙΚΗΤΑ
ΕΣΤΑΡΧ,
ΚΗΡΥ̣Κ,
Τ
σφραγ(ὶς) Νικήτα βεστάρχ(ου) Κηρυκ(ί)του
Obverse
Bust of St Niketas holding the martyr's cross before him. Inscription on either side: |Ν|ΙΚ|Η|Τ,: ὁ ἅ(γιος) Νικήτ(ας). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
ΣΡΑΓ,
ΝΙΚΗΤΑ
ΕΣΤΑΡΧ,
ΚΗΡΥ̣Κ,
Τ
σφραγ(ὶς) Νικήτα βεστάρχ(ου) Κηρυκ(ί)του
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4015 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 18.0 mm; field: 14.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | See Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 2663. |
Translation
σφραγὶς Νικήτα βεστάρχου Κηρυκίτου.
Seal of the vestarches Niketas Kerykites.
Bibliography
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 2, Siegellegenden von Ny bis inklusive Sphragis (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
This seems to be the only known instance of the name Kerykites. It may attest to the owner's Georgian origin, all the more so since the cult of St Niketas was widespread in eleventh-century Georgia.