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Nicholas Katechanas, protospatharios and primikerios ton synegoron (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Inscription of six lines, a decoration above and dashes flanking the letters of the last line. Border of dots.

  
Κ̣ε̣̣ο
θειτ
σουλ
νικολ
σπθ
ρι

Κ(ύρι)ε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Νικολάῳ (πρωτο)σπαθαρίῳ

Reverse

Inscription of six lines, a decoration above and dashes flanking the letters of the last line. Border of dots.

  
πρι
μικηρι
τνσυνη
γορντ
κτιχ
ν

(καὶ) πριμικηρίῳ τῶν συνηγόρων τῷ Κατιχανᾷ

Obverse

Inscription of six lines, a decoration above and dashes flanking the letters of the last line. Border of dots.

  
Κ̣ε̣̣ο
θειτ
σουλ
νικολ
σπθ
ρι

Κ(ύρι)ε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Νικολάῳ (πρωτο)σπαθαρίῳ

Reverse

Inscription of six lines, a decoration above and dashes flanking the letters of the last line. Border of dots.

  
πρι
μικηρι
τνσυνη
γορντ
κτιχ
ν

(καὶ) πριμικηρίῳ τῶν συνηγόρων τῷ Κατιχανᾷ

Accession number BZS.1947.2.1048
Diameter 27.0 mm; field: 25.0 mm
Previous Editions

W. Seibt, "Katechanas ein lange verkannter mittelbyzantinischer Bei- bzw. Familienname," BZ 110/3 (2017), 750. Cf. Laurent, Corpus 2, no, 1155.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Νικολάῳ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ πριμικηρίῳ τῶν συνηγόρων τῷ Κατιχανᾷ.

Lord, help your servant Nicholas Katichanas, protospatharios and primikerios of the lawyers.

Commentary

Seibt notes other seals from the eleventh century with the rarely attested family name Katechanas. The office of primikerios ton synegoron ("chairman of the lawyers") may correspond with the head of a guild of advocates known to have existed in the eleventh century.

Bibliography