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Basil archbishop of Selge (tenth century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin holding Christ before her. On either side the sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Remains of a circular inscription. No border visible.

.........ΤΣΔΟΥΛ

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ

Reverse

Inscription of four lines, a decoration consisting of a triangular device between tendrils below. Border of dots.

ΑΣΙΛ
ΕΙΑΡΧΙ
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠ
ΣΕΛΓΙΣ


Βασιλείῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Σέλγις

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin holding Christ before her. On either side the sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Remains of a circular inscription. No border visible.

.........ΤΣΔΟΥΛ

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ

Reverse

Inscription of four lines, a decoration consisting of a triangular device between tendrils below. Border of dots.

ΑΣΙΛ
ΕΙΑΡΧΙ
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠ
ΣΕΛΓΙΣ


Βασιλείῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Σέλγις

Accession number BZS.1958.106.207
Diameter 15.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 2, no. 77.1a.
Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 840.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Βασιλείῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Σέλγις.

Mother of God, help your servant Basil, archbishop of Selge.

Commentary

This is one of six specimens from the same boulloterion and its edition is based on the readings of the parallels listed below.

Selge (today Zerk/Altınkaya) was a bishopric suffragan of Side from at least the 5th century; in the early 9th century, it was elevated to the rank of archbishopric and is attested as such in all notitiae. See Laurent, Corpus V/1, 652 (add Zacos, Seals II, no. 570); Fedalto, 244-45; Brandes, Städte, 128; Zgusta, 551-52.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
  • Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)
  • Die Städte Kleinasiens im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert (Open in Zotero)
  • Kleinasiatische Ortsnamen (Open in Zotero)