Isaac Komnenos, despotes (eleventh/twelfth century)
Obverse
St Theodore standing, holding a spear and balancing his shield against the ground. Sigla preserved at right: Θ|Ε|ΟΔ||ΡΟ|Σ: [ὁ ἅγιος] Θεόδωρος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. Border of dots.
ΘΚ̅ΕΟΗ
θ̣ΕΙΤΣ
ΔΟΥΛΙΣΑΑ
κ̣ΙΔΕΣΠΟΤ.
τ̣ΚΟΜΝΗ
Ν
Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰσαακίῳ δεσπότ[ῃ] τῷ Κομνηνῷ
Obverse
St Theodore standing, holding a spear and balancing his shield against the ground. Sigla preserved at right: Θ|Ε|ΟΔ||ΡΟ|Σ: [ὁ ἅγιος] Θεόδωρος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. Border of dots.
ΘΚ̅ΕΟΗ
θ̣ΕΙΤΣ
ΔΟΥΛΙΣΑΑ
κ̣ΙΔΕΣΠΟΤ.
τ̣ΚΟΜΝΗ
Ν
Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰσαακίῳ δεσπότ[ῃ] τῷ Κομνηνῷ
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.5003 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 31.0 mm |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰσαακίω δεσπότῃ τῷ Κομνηνῷ.
Mother of God, help your servant Isaac Komnenos, despotes.
Bibliography
- Corpus of Byzantine Seals from Bulgaria (Open in Zotero)
- Ἡ γενεαλογία τῶν Κομνηνῶν (Open in Zotero)
- Les personnages byzantins de l’Alexiade: Analyse prosopographique et synthèse (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The owner of this seal has been identified as Isaac Komnenos, the brother of Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118), who was granted the title despotes after his brother's ascension to the imperial throne. This seal has several parallels in other collections, listed in Jordanov, Corpus II, no. 340A. On Isaac Komnenos and his seals see Barzos, Komnenoi, I, 67-69; Skoulatos, Personnages, 123-140; Zacos, Seals, I, no. 2702; and PBW : Isaakios 61.