Michael (?) Pothos (thirteenth/fourteenth century)
Obverse
Bust of St. Michael holding the scepter in his right hand. Indeterminate border. Inscription preserved only on right: Χ|Ι: Ὁ ἅγιος Μιχαήλ.
Obverse
Bust of St. Michael holding the scepter in his right hand. Indeterminate border. Inscription preserved only on right: Χ|Ι: Ὁ ἅγιος Μιχαήλ.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Indeterminate border.
ΕΓ
ΤΟΟΘ.
ΙΧΗΛ
.ΕΣΦΡ
ΓΙ
Ἐγὼ το πόθῳ Μιχαὴλ σε σφραγίζω
Accession number | BZS.1958.106.816 |
---|---|
Diameter | 26.0 mm |
Previous Editions | Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 684. |
Translation
Ἐγὼ το πόθῳ Μιχαὴλ σε σφραγίζω.
With longing for you, Michael, I place you on my seal. / I inscribe you, Michael, on the seal for Pothos. / I seal you (i.e. the seal) for Michael Pothos.
Bibliography
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 1, Siegellegenden von Alpha bis inclusive My (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The inscription can be taken in three ways, depending on whether the owner, the saint, or the seal is speaking. If we take πόθος ("longing") as a noun, the inscription proclaims the owner's veneration of the saint shown on the obverse. In this case, the seal would be anonymous. If, however, Pothos is a name (as we think it is), the inscription could be addressed to the archangel Michael, or it could equally be a statement that the seal has been inscribed on behalf of Michael Pothos.