Anonymous (twelfth century)
Obverse
Inscription of three lines ending with a star. A cross above and a decoration below. Border of dots.
γρφι
η̣.φρ̣
γισ
γραφι ἡ [σ]φρα{α}γὶς
Reverse
Inscription of four lines beginning with a cross. Border of dots.
ση
ινν
τονδε̣Σ̣Π
.τη̣Ν̣
σημαίνων τὸν δεσπ[ό]την
Obverse
Inscription of three lines ending with a star. A cross above and a decoration below. Border of dots.
γρφι
η̣.φρ̣
γισ
γραφι ἡ [σ]φρα{α}γὶς
Reverse
Inscription of four lines beginning with a cross. Border of dots.
ση
ινν
τονδε̣Σ̣Π
.τη̣Ν̣
σημαίνων τὸν δεσπ[ό]την
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.2204 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 22.0 mm |
| Condition | Punctured in two places. |
| Previous Editions | This inscription should be added to the collection of metrical verses assembled by Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 1. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
γραφι ἡ σφραγὶς σημαίνων τὸν δεσπότην.
The letter is the seal identifying the owner.
Commentary
The reading of the obverse is not certain. The letters are not entirely clear and there appears to be a superfluous letter (α) in what we read as σφραγίς. Furthermore, neither γραφή nor σφραγίς (both feminine nouns) agrees grammatically with the masculine participle σημαίνων. The reading of the inscription makes for a proper dodecasyllabic verse but it is very much open to correction from a better preserved parallel.