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Basil bishop of Kadoi (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin, with her hands open before her. On either side the inscription: ̅-θ̅υ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Clear traces of a circular inscription at right. Border of dots.

..εRοη-τωσωδ

[Θ(εοτό)κ]ε βοή[θει] τῷ σῷ δ(ούλῳ)

Reverse

Inscription of four lines, decorations above and below. Border of dots.

– ·
Rασ,
ληωεπ,
κοπ,κα
δον
– ·

Βασ(ι)λήῳ ἐπ(ισ)κόπ(ῳ) Κάδον.

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin, with her hands open before her. On either side the inscription: ̅-θ̅υ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Clear traces of a circular inscription at right. Border of dots.

..εRοη-τωσωδ

[Θ(εοτό)κ]ε βοή[θει] τῷ σῷ δ(ούλῳ)

Reverse

Inscription of four lines, decorations above and below. Border of dots.

– ·
Rασ,
ληωεπ,
κοπ,κα
δον
– ·

Βασ(ι)λήῳ ἐπ(ισ)κόπ(ῳ) Κάδον.

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.1950
Diameter 19.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 3, no. 18.1.

Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 735.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Βασιλήῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Κάδον.

Mother of God, help your servant Basil, bishop of Kadoi.

Commentary

In his edition of the seal Laurent left out the circular inscription of the obverse, misread the second line of the reverse, and dated the seal to the tenth/eleventh century.

Kadoi (modern Gediz; after the earthquake of 1970, the village moved close to Karilar Pazari), on the border of Lydia and Phrygia, probably belonged to the theme of the Anatolikoi, but we list it here because it was a suffragan bishopric first of Laodikeia, then of Hierapolis, both metropoleis situated inside the Thrakesion. It is attested in all notitiae. Its first known bishop is attested in 449. See Laurent, Corpus V/1, 560; Zgusta, 210-11; Phrygien und Pisidien, 285.

Bibliography