(Theodore?) Hikanatos (eleventh/twelfth century)
Obverse
Bust of St. Theodore holding a spear over his right shoulder and his shield in his left hand. Details indistinct. On either side, traces of epigraphy: |θε|οΔ|ρ|οσ : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Θεόδωρος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines, a cross above. Border of dots.
γραα,
σραγι,
μαρτυσ
.ικα̣να
τ̣ου
γραφὰ(ς) σφραγίζ(οις), μάρτυς, [τ]οῦ Ἱκανάτου
Obverse
Bust of St. Theodore holding a spear over his right shoulder and his shield in his left hand. Details indistinct. On either side, traces of epigraphy: |θε|οΔ|ρ|οσ : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Θεόδωρος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines, a cross above. Border of dots.
γραα,
σραγι,
μαρτυσ
.ικα̣να
τ̣ου
γραφὰ(ς) σφραγίζ(οις), μάρτυς, [τ]οῦ Ἱκανάτου
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.4711 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 20.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 328. |
Translation
γραφὰς σφραγίζοις, μάρτυς, τοῦ Ἱκανάτου.
May you, martyr, seal the letters of Hikanatos.
Bibliography
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 1, Siegellegenden von Alpha bis inclusive My (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
It may be that the owner's Christian name was Theodore, given his choice of saint, but this is of course only speculation.
The abbreviation of the verb σφραγίζω makes it impossible to know for certain which mood the ending was in; we have supplied the optative, as is common in invocations, but the imperative σφράγιζε or the indicative σφραγίζεις are also possible.