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Constantine Katharos, skeuophylax (twelfth century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God orans with a medallion of Christ on her breast. At left and right: ΜΡ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

σφραγισ
φυλακοσ
καθαρου
ΚΝΑΝ
ΤΙΝ

Σφραγὶς φύλακος Καθαροῦ Κωνσταντίνου

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God orans with a medallion of Christ on her breast. At left and right: ΜΡ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

σφραγισ
φυλακοσ
καθαρου
ΚΝΑΝ
ΤΙΝ

Σφραγὶς φύλακος Καθαροῦ Κωνσταντίνου

Accession number BZS.1958.106.1944
Diameter 25.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 5 no. 27.6b; Laurent, Corpus 2: no. 672 (A). Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 2960b.

Translation

Σφραγὶς φύλακος Καθαροῦ Κωνσταντίνου.

The seal of the (skeuo)phylax Constantine Katharos.

Commentary

A twelve-syllable metrical inscription. In our opinion this seal is too late to be referring to the treasury of the Phylax, the last datable mention of which was a 1086 chrysobull of Alexios I Komnenos (Lavra, 259.51). This is particularly true if, as Laurent asserted, this Constantine Katharos is the same person who was active in September 1161. We believe that we are involved with a skeuophylax, a title that is presented for reasons of meter in a shortened form.

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)
  • Actes de Lavra, Vol. 1, Des origines à 1204 (Open in Zotero)
  • Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 2, Siegellegenden von Ny bis inklusive Sphragis (Open in Zotero)