George protospatharios epi tou Chrysotriklinou and grand kourator of the Imperial Monastery (tenth century)
Obverse
Bust of St. George (partially destroyed) holding a spear diagonally across his chest. Traces of a circular inscription: αγιεγ. Border of dots.
Ἅγιε Γ[εώργιε βοήθει]
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
γερ,
.σπαθˋε
..τχρ,μˊ
.ρ,.ˋ
μον
Γεωρ(γίῳ) [(πρωτο)]σπαθ(αρίῳ) ἐ[πὶ] τοῦ Χρ(υσοτρικλίνου) (καὶ) μ(εγάλῳ) [κ]ουρ(άτορι) [τ(ῆς)] β(ασιλικῆς) μον(ῆς)
Obverse
Bust of St. George (partially destroyed) holding a spear diagonally across his chest. Traces of a circular inscription: αγιεγ. Border of dots.
Ἅγιε Γ[εώργιε βοήθει]
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
γερ,
.σπαθˋε
..τχρ,μˊ
.ρ,.ˋ
μον
Γεωρ(γίῳ) [(πρωτο)]σπαθ(αρίῳ) ἐ[πὶ] τοῦ Χρ(υσοτρικλίνου) (καὶ) μ(εγάλῳ) [κ]ουρ(άτορι) [τ(ῆς)] β(ασιλικῆς) μον(ῆς)
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4938 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 78.3. |
Translation
Ἅγιε Γεώργιε βοήθει Γεωργίῳ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χρυσοτρικλίνου καὶ μεγάλῳ κουράτορι τῆς βασιλικῆς μονῆς.
Saint George, help George, protospatharios epi tou Chrysotriklinou and grand kourator of the Imperial Monastery.
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 Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Reverse, last line: the first visible letter is partially destroyed but one can perceive that it was formed with an upright bar at right.
The editors of DO Seals 5 were uncertain whether George was a protospatharios. The office of epi tou Chrysotriklinou, however, is commonly connected with the title (imperial) protospatharios (or spatharokandidatos, cf. BZS.1955.1.3350), so we can be fairly sure that that dignity is recorded here.