John bishop of Boukellon (twelfth century, second half)
Obverse
Inscription of three lines. Border of dots.
ΣΦΡΓ
ΗΣΓΡΑΦ
ΩΝΙΩ
Σφραγὴς γραφῶν Ἰωάννου
Reverse
Inscription of three lines. Border of dots.
ΕΣΚ
ΟΠΟΥΒΟΥ
ΚΕΛΟΥ
ἐπισκόπου Βουκέλου
Obverse
Inscription of three lines. Border of dots.
ΣΦΡΓ
ΗΣΓΡΑΦ
ΩΝΙΩ
Σφραγὴς γραφῶν Ἰωάννου
Reverse
Inscription of three lines. Border of dots.
ΕΣΚ
ΟΠΟΥΒΟΥ
ΚΕΛΟΥ
ἐπισκόπου Βουκέλου
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.59 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 20.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 47.1. |
Translation
Σφραγὴς γραφῶν Ἰωάννου ἐπισκόπου Βουκέλου.
Seal of the letters of John, bishop of Boukellon.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- La Thrace Orientale et La Mer Noire: Géographie Ecclésiastique et Prosopographie (VIIIe-XIIe Siècles) (Open in Zotero)
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 2, Siegellegenden von Ny bis inklusive Sphragis (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Together the two inscriptions make up a fifteen-syllable verse. Laurent misread the initial letter of the word identifying the see and read Σουυλίου (for Σουβλίου), which he identified as the bishopric of Soublaion, suffragan of Laodikeia. The letter is formed with inward-curving loops at top and bottom and is unquestionably a Β. The seal is poorly engraved on nearly rectangular matrices; some letter shapes are influenced by the miniscule script.
The location of the see is unknown. The bishopric of Boukellon is mentioned for the first time in the Notitia of Leo VI and continues to be cited in lists up to the thirteenth century. We know, however, from a literary source that it was in existence in the early fifteenth century. The see was at all times a suffragan bishopric of Adrianoupolis. Cf. Laurent, Corpus V/1, 549; Asdracha, Thrace orientale, 262, 300.