Alexios Komnenos, sebastos and domestikos of the West (1078-81)
Obverse
St. Demetrios standing, holding spear, his left hand set on shield resting on ground. Inscription: ο|α|γι|οσδ|η||τρ|ι,. : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Δημήτριος. Border of dots.
Obverse
St. Demetrios standing, holding spear, his left hand set on shield resting on ground. Inscription: ο|α|γι|οσδ|η||τρ|ι,. : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Δημήτριος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription in seven lines with the final two letters between horizontal bars. Border of dots.
ΚΕ̅οη
θειαλεΞι
σεαστκαι
δομεστικ
τησδυσεσ
τκομνη
ν
Κ(ύρι)ε βοήθει Ἀλεξίῳ σεβαστῷ καὶ δομεστίκῳ τῆς Δύσεως τῷ Κομνηνῷ
Accession number | BZS.1958.106.5631 |
---|---|
Diameter | 30.0 mm |
Previous Editions | Zacos-Veglery, no. 2707; Laurent, Corpus II, no. 936; DO Seals 1 no. 1.16. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει Ἀλεξίῳ σεβαστῷ καὶ δομεσίκῳ τῆς Δύσεως τῷ Κομνηνῷ.
Lord, help Alexios Komnenos, sebastos and domestikos of the West.
Bibliography
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
A similar seal, originally published by Sorlin-Dorigny, Revue archéol. 33 [1877], t. I, 82-83, then edited and published in Sig., 640, has the same iconography and alignment of letters as this seal, and may well be from the same boulloterion.
A problem presented by this seal is the absence of the term "grand". Laurent has suggested that μ(ε)γ(άλῳ) is missing either because the engraver omitted it or because Alexios considered the inclusion of the term to be of minor consequence. A third possibility of course, would be that the owner of this seal is not the future emperor Alexios I at all, but an individual bearing the same name, such as the second son of Isaac Komnenos and Maria of Alania, certainly known to have been a sebastos (see BZS.1951.31.5.1397), but with no record that he ever held the post of domestikos of the West. Since the seal dates no later than the first quarter of the twelfth century, there is no need to posit yet another, later, Alexios Komnenos, the son of Nikephoros Bryennios and Anna Komnena. On the other hand, the image of St. Demetrios on the obverse appears on all seals of Alexios I Komnenos and strongly indicates him as the owner of the present specimen. See PBW : Alexios 105.