Anonymous (twelfth century)
Obverse
St John the Baptist standing, holding a staff cross over his left shoulder and raising his right hand in the call for repentance. Inscription on either side: ο|ι|οπ|ρ|ο|ρο|μ|ο|σ : ὁ (ἅγιος) Ἰω(άννης) ὁ Πρόδρομος. Border of thick dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines beginning with a cross. Border of thick dots.
σφρ
γιστπ
νολ̣Ιγο
ν̣Ουπε
λ̣
σφραγὶς ταπεινοῦ ὀλιγόνου πέλω
Obverse
St John the Baptist standing, holding a staff cross over his left shoulder and raising his right hand in the call for repentance. Inscription on either side: ο|ι|οπ|ρ|ο|ρο|μ|ο|σ : ὁ (ἅγιος) Ἰω(άννης) ὁ Πρόδρομος. Border of thick dots.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines beginning with a cross. Border of thick dots.
σφρ
γιστπ
νολ̣Ιγο
ν̣Ουπε
λ̣
σφραγὶς ταπεινοῦ ὀλιγόνου πέλω
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.1905 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 22.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 2920. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
σφραγὶς ταπεινοῦ ὀλιγόνου πέλω.
I am the seal of a humble man of limited understanding.
Commentary
In her commentary on the vocabulary of this metrical inscription, emphasizing the owner's humility and ignorance, Wassiliou-Seibt proposes that the seal belonged to a monk; in turn, the image of St John the Baptist on the obverse suggests either the monastic name taken by the owner or a connection to the monastery to which he belonged.