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Constantine komes of the Paphlagonians (?) (tenth/eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. Achillios wearing a cloak over the left shoulder and holding a book in his left hand. On either side a vertical inscription: |αχ|ι-λ|ει|σ : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἀχίλει(ο)ς. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.

κεR,θ,
Κ̅̅Ν̅κο
μιτ,τ,πα
φλαγ,

Κ(ύρι)ε β(ο)ή(θει) Κων(σταντίνῳ) κόμιτ(ι) τ(ῶν) Παφλαγ(όνων?)

Obverse

Bust of St. Achillios wearing a cloak over the left shoulder and holding a book in his left hand. On either side a vertical inscription: |αχ|ι-λ|ει|σ : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἀχίλει(ο)ς. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.

κεR,θ,
Κ̅̅Ν̅κο
μιτ,τ,πα
φλαγ,

Κ(ύρι)ε β(ο)ή(θει) Κων(σταντίνῳ) κόμιτ(ι) τ(ῶν) Παφλαγ(όνων?)

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.2276
Diameter 16.0 mm; field: 11.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 4, no. 11.18.

Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει Κωνσταντίνῳ κόμιτι τῶν Παφλαγόνων.

Lord, help Constantine, komes of the Paphlagonians.

Commentary

The inscription identifying St. Achillios might have adopted a popular form and so read: Ἀχιλλεις = Ἀχίλλης. The reading τῶν Παφλαγόνων seems preferable to us instead of τῆς Παφλαγονίας, since the placename normally does not take the article. We do not know what komes means in this context. The regular thematic komes was an officer of low rank (Listes, 341). To speculate, it seems that here we have a naval komes who headed a squadron of the imperial navy (Listes, 340), perhaps the local squadron previously commanded by the katepano of Paphlagonia.

Bibliography

  • Byzantinische Bleisiegel in Berlin II (Open in Zotero)
  • Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
  • De Thematibus (Open in Zotero)
  • Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (Open in Zotero)
  • Paphlagonien und Honorias (Open in Zotero)
  • Η Μικρά Ασία των θεμάτων. Ἐρευνες πάνω στην γεωγραφική φυσιογνωμία και προσωπογραφία των βυζαντινών θεμάτων της Μικράς Ασίας (Open in Zotero)