Eustathios, protospatharios and kleisouriarches of Seleukeia (ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V). In the quarters: ΤΣ|Λ : τῷ σῷ δούλῳ. Wreath border.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
ΥΣΤ
.Ι.ΣΠΘ
ΚΛ.ΣΡΙΡ
ΣΛΥΚ
Εὐστα[θ]ίῳ [(πρωτο)]σπαθ[(αρίῳ)] (καὶ) κλ[ι]σουριάρ(χῃ) Σελευκ(είας).
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V). In the quarters: ΤΣ|Λ : τῷ σῷ δούλῳ. Wreath border.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
ΥΣΤ
.Ι.ΣΠΘ
ΚΛ.ΣΡΙΡ
ΣΛΥΚ
Εὐστα[θ]ίῳ [(πρωτο)]σπαθ[(αρίῳ)] (καὶ) κλ[ι]σουριάρ(χῃ) Σελευκ(είας).
| Accession number | BZS 1955.1.861 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 31.0 mm; field: 28.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 6.11; Zacos-Veglery, no. 1899. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Εὐσταθίῳ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ κλισουριάρχῃ Σελευκείας.
Mother of God, help your servant Eustathios, protospatharios and kleisouriarches of Seleukeia.
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)
Commentary
Following the loss of Cilicia to the Arabs in the eighth century, the region of Seleukeia was reorganized for the defense of the Byzantine borderlands and became an administrative and military kleisoura, first attested in the first half of the ninth century, and which was elevated to a theme during the reign of Romanos I, between 927 and 934.
The missing letter in the second line of the reverse inscription could also be read as the abbreviation for basilikos, yielding the reading β(ασιλικῷ) σπαθαρίῳ. As the owner of the seal is likely identical to the Eustathios of BZS.1955.1.864 at a later stage in his career, the title of protospatharios is more likely than imperial spatharios.