Skip to Content

Andronikos Komnenos, sebastokrator (twelfth century)

 
 

Obverse

The Mother of God seated on a high-backed throne, holding the Child before her. Sigla on both sides: ̅θυ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of six lines, beginning with a cross. Border of dots.

κε̅θ
νρονικ
σεοκρ
τοριτπορ
φυρογεν
τ

Κύριε βοήθει Ἀνδρονικ σεβαστοκράτορι τῷ πορφυρογεννήτῳ

Obverse

The Mother of God seated on a high-backed throne, holding the Child before her. Sigla on both sides: ̅θυ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of six lines, beginning with a cross. Border of dots.

κε̅θ
νρονικ
σεοκρ
τοριτπορ
φυρογεν
τ

Κύριε βοήθει Ἀνδρονικ σεβαστοκράτορι τῷ πορφυρογεννήτῳ

Accession number BZS.1958.106.1852
Diameter 19.0 mm; field: 17.0 mm
Previous Editions

Oikonomides, Dated Seals, no. 113; Zacos-Veglery, no. 2718.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει Ἀνδρονικῷ σεβαστοκράτορι τῷ πορφυρογεννήτῳ.

Lord, help Andronikos, sebastokrator, born in the purple.

Commentary

This seal should in all likelihood be attributed to the second son of Alexios I Komnenos who was elevated to the rank of sebastokrator sometime between 1102 and 1104. This Andronikos is to be distinguished from the second son of John II Komnenos, known by the same name, who became sebastokrator in 1122. As Oikonomides argues, the emphasis on the epithet porphyrogennetos (born while one's father held the throne) makes greater sense in the case of the first Andronikos, since it applies more truly to him than to his nephew who was born before his father ascended the throne in 1118. The addition of porphyrogennetos to the inscription on this seal was meant to draw a distinction between two sebastokratores.

Bibliography