John bishop of Priene (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding the medallion of Christ before her. On either side the sigla: ̅-θ̅υ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, a decoration below. Border of dots.
.θκεR
.ι̅ω̅πι
.κορι
ηνησ
– + –
Θεοτόκε β(οή)[θ(ει)] Ἰω(άννῃ) ἐισκόπ(ῳ) Πριήνης.
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding the medallion of Christ before her. On either side the sigla: ̅-θ̅υ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, a decoration below. Border of dots.
.θκεR
.ι̅ω̅πι
.κορι
ηνησ
– + –
Θεοτόκε β(οή)[θ(ει)] Ἰω(άννῃ) ἐισκόπ(ῳ) Πριήνης.
| Accession number | BZS.1947.2.139 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 21.0 mm; field: 18.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 30.1. Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 291. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Ἰωάννῃ ἐισκόπῳ Πριήνης.
Mother of God, help John, bishop of Priene.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 3: West, Northwest, and Central Asia Minor and the Orient (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Les évêchés suffragants d’Ephèse aux 5e-13e siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Die Städte Kleinasiens im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The ruins of Priene (also called Sampson, in the Middle Ages) are close to the village of Güllübahçe (Samsun Kale) on the side of Mount Mykale (Samsun dag) on the right bank of the Maeander. As a bishopric, it was first mentioned in the Council of Ephesos (431). A suffragan of Ephesos, Priene was listen in all notitiae from the seventh to the thirteenth century. Cf. Laurent, Corpus V/1, 205; Culerrier, Suffragants d'Ephèse, 158 (episcopal list); Brandes, Städte, 88-89; ODB III, 1717.