Synetos and Niketas apo eparchon and general kommerkiarioi of the apotheke of Constantinople (seventh/eighth century)
Obverse
Emperor standing, wearing a loros and crown, and holding a globus cruciger in his right hand and a cruciform scepter in his left. At left: Ι. : Ἰ(νδικτιὼν) ι.'. Traces of a circular inscription beginning at twelve o'clock. Indeterminate border.
ΝΤ....ΗΤ......ΡΧ..
[Συ]νετοῦ [(καὶ) Νικ]ήτ[α ἀπὸ ἐπ]άρχ[ων]
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. No visible border.
Γ.ΝΙΚ.
ΝΚΟΜΜ
.ΚΙΡΙΝ
..ΘΗΚΗΣΚ
ΝΣΤΝΤΙΝ
.......
γ[ε]νικ[ῶ]ν κομμε[ρ]κιαρίων ἀ[πο]θήκης Κωνσταντιν[ουπόλεως]
Obverse
Emperor standing, wearing a loros and crown, and holding a globus cruciger in his right hand and a cruciform scepter in his left. At left: Ι. : Ἰ(νδικτιὼν) ι.'. Traces of a circular inscription beginning at twelve o'clock. Indeterminate border.
ΝΤ....ΗΤ......ΡΧ..
[Συ]νετοῦ [(καὶ) Νικ]ήτ[α ἀπὸ ἐπ]άρχ[ων]
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. No visible border.
Γ.ΝΙΚ.
ΝΚΟΜΜ
.ΚΙΡΙΝ
..ΘΗΚΗΣΚ
ΝΣΤΝΤΙΝ
.......
γ[ε]νικ[ῶ]ν κομμε[ρ]κιαρίων ἀ[πο]θήκης Κωνσταντιν[ουπόλεως]
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4395 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 32.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 23.12; Zacos–Veglery, no. 209. |
Translation
Συνετοῦ καὶ Νικήτα ἀπὸ ἐπάρχων, γενικῶν κομμερκιαρίων ἀποθήκης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως.
(Seal of) Synetos and Niketas apo eparchon, general kommerkiarioi of the apotheke of Constantinople.
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)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 2, Phocas to Theodosius III (602–717) (Open in Zotero)
Similar Seals
- Synetos and Niketas apo eparchon and general kommerkiarioi of the apotheke of Constantinople (713/714)
- Synetos and Niketas apo eparchon, general kommerkiarioi of the apotheke of Koloneia, Kamacha and Fourth Armenia (713-715)
- Synetos and Niketas general kommerkiarioi of the apotheke of Mesembria (713/714)
- Synetos and Niketas general kommerkiarioi of the apotheke of Mesembria (713/714)
- Synetos and Niketas apo eparchon and general kommerkiarioi of the apotheke of Constantinople (seventh/eighth century)
- Synetos and Niketas apo eparchon, general kommerkiarioi of Lazike (711/712)
Commentary
The date of this specimen poses a problem. Zacos and Veglery attribute the specimen to the reign of the emperor Philippikos (711-713). This works if we read the indiction date as IA, but the A is problematic. On his coins Philippikos holds two objects: a globus cruciger and a scepter mounted by an eagle (see also the seals BZS.1958.106.597 and BZS.1955.1.4268). But our emperor holds in his left hand a cross scepter. The combination of globus cruciger and cross scepter is found on Tiberios III's Class 2 folleis (see DOC II.2, pl. XLI, 11a), a type that Grierson would assign to the period 701/2. Tiberios III's regnal dates (698-705) overlap two indiction cycles which include years 12 through 3, and so it is possible that he is the sovereign represented on our specimen.