Constantine V and Leo IV (751–75)
Obverse
Cross potent on four steps. Circular inscription. Wreath border.
EO............ACIS
En on[om(ati) tu p(at)r(os) (καὶ) tu y(io)u (καὶ)] tu agiu b(ne)u(mato)s.
Obverse
Cross potent on four steps. Circular inscription. Wreath border.
EO............ACIS
En on[om(ati) tu p(at)r(os) (καὶ) tu y(io)u (καὶ)] tu agiu b(ne)u(mato)s.
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. Indeterminate border.
.OS
AI
OSSLEOP
ISOIASI
LISRO
AIO
[C]onstantinos (καὶ) Leon pistoi basilis Romaion.
Accession number | BZS.1958.106.589 (formerly DO 58.106.589) |
---|---|
Diameter | 33.0 mm |
Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 33.1; Zacos–Veglery, no. 36c. The example published by Seibt, Bleisiegel, no. 16 (751–ca. 770) is perhaps a late eighth-century forgery. |
Translation
En onomati tu patros καὶ tu yiou καὶ tu agiu bneumatos Constantinos καὶ Leon pistoi basilis Romaion.
Constantine and Leo, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, faithful basileis of the Romans.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Die byzantinischen Bleisiegel in Österreich, Vol. 1, Kaiserhof (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
At the end of the circular inscription on the obverse the letter G appears as C, and the abbreviation for PNEUMATOS appears as bUS instead of PNS (see also BZS.1958.106.581, where bU is interpreted as a retrograde PN). Zacos and Veglery (no. 36b) attribute to Constantine V and Leo IV a seal on which PNEUMATOS is abbreviated PNS.
In addition, note S as an abbreviation for καί, as well as the reverse inscription, in which the Greek is expressed in Latin letters. bASILIS is the Latin equivalent of the Greek βασιλεῖς.