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Niketas metropolitan of Ankyra (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. Clement blessing and holding the book. Inscription in two columns: |κλ... : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Κλ[ήμη(ς)]. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, top lines missing; a decoration below. Border of dots.

Rοηθ,
νικητα
μ̅ρ̅οπολ
ανκυ.
 

[Κ(ύρι)ε] βοήθ(ει) Νικήτᾳ μ(ητ)ροπολ(ίτῃ) Ἀνκύ[ρ(ας)]

Obverse

Bust of St. Clement blessing and holding the book. Inscription in two columns: |κλ... : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Κλ[ήμη(ς)]. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, top lines missing; a decoration below. Border of dots.

Rοηθ,
νικητα
μ̅ρ̅οπολ
ανκυ.
 

[Κ(ύρι)ε] βοήθ(ει) Νικήτᾳ μ(ητ)ροπολ(ίτῃ) Ἀνκύ[ρ(ας)]

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.1289
Diameter 23.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 4, no. 2.1. See also Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 341 (with a different reading of the obverse inscription).

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει Νικήτᾳ μητροπολίτῃ Ἀνκύρας.

Lord, help Niketas, metropolitan of Ankyra.

Commentary

Laurent read the first three letters of the obverse inscription: |Rα, identifying the bishop-saint as Basil. He also dated the seal to the second half of the eleventh century assigned it to a metropolitan Niketas who occupied the throne at least as early as 1072 and was still active in the 1080’s (Laurent, Corpus V/1, 242). We are less certain and note that the specimen could as well have been issued in the name of a Niketas who succeeded metropolitan Michael in 1038 (ibid.). Laurent was also inclined to associate the Niketas of our specimen with a Niketas who struck a seal carrying an image of the Virgin on the obverse and a metrical inscription on the reverse which reads as follows: τὸν Ἀγκύρας, Πάναγνε, Νικήταν σ(κέ)ποις.

Bibliography