Basil horreiarios of Paphos (tenth/eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of St. Menas orans. Inscription in two columns: |ΜΙΝΑ,: Ὁ ἅγιος Μινᾶς. Traces of a circular inscription along the circumference. Border of dots.
Κύριε βοήθει ? τῷ σῷ
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, preceded and followed by a row of pellets. Border of dots.
ασι
λειορι
αριπ
αφου
Βασιλείῳ ὁριαρίῳ Πάφου
Obverse
Bust of St. Menas orans. Inscription in two columns: |ΜΙΝΑ,: Ὁ ἅγιος Μινᾶς. Traces of a circular inscription along the circumference. Border of dots.
Κύριε βοήθει ? τῷ σῷ
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, preceded and followed by a row of pellets. Border of dots.
ασι
λειορι
αριπ
αφου
Βασιλείῳ ὁριαρίῳ Πάφου
| Accession number | BZS.1947.2.312 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 20.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 39.1a. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ Βασιλείῳ ὁριαρίῳ Πάφου.
Lord, help your servant Basil horreiarios of Paphos.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor (Open in Zotero)
- Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Textes synodaux chypriotes (Open in Zotero)
- Les îles de l’empire byzantin: VIIIe-XIIe siècles (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The presence of an horreiarios in Paphos shows that the city had become an important center of concentration of agricultural produce. In fact other sources show that the region of Paphos produced cereals as well as wine and vegetables (Malamut, Iles, 387, 390, 411).
Paphos (modern Nea Paphos), an ancient city and bishopric (attested in 325). The region may have been occupied by the Arabs from the 7th century to 965. Our seals show that the city did not wait for the 12th century to flourish in a Byzantine milieu but instead quickly became a place of concentration of agricultural produce and the seat of bishop. See Darrouzès, Notitiae, no. 3, line 165; no. 10, line 764; Laurent, Corpus V/2, 314-15; J. Darrouzès, "Textes synodaux chypriotes, REB 37 (1979) 23-30; Malamut, Iles, passim, esp. 253-55.