N. protospatharios, thesmophylax and judge of the Thrakesioi (tenth/eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Mother of God holding Christ on her left arm. Sigla: ΘΥ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Traces of circular inscription along the circumference. Border of dots.
+.κεR
[Θ(εοτό)]κε β[οήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ]
Reverse
Inscription of six lines, top line missing. Border of dots.
....
Rˋαˋσπαθ
θεσμοφυ
λακκριτ,
τνθρα
κισˋ.
[.....] β(ασιλικῷ) (πρωτο)σπαθ(αρίῳ), θεσμοφύλα(κι) κ(αὶ) κριτ(ῇ) τῶν Θρᾳκισ(ίων)
Obverse
Bust of the Mother of God holding Christ on her left arm. Sigla: ΘΥ : Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Traces of circular inscription along the circumference. Border of dots.
+.κεR
[Θ(εοτό)]κε β[οήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ]
Reverse
Inscription of six lines, top line missing. Border of dots.
....
Rˋαˋσπαθ
θεσμοφυ
λακκριτ,
τνθρα
κισˋ.
[.....] β(ασιλικῷ) (πρωτο)σπαθ(αρίῳ), θεσμοφύλα(κι) κ(αὶ) κριτ(ῇ) τῶν Θρᾳκισ(ίων)
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.701 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 2.29. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ ..... βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ, θεσμοφύλακι καὶ κριτῇ τῶν Θρᾳκισίων.
Mother of God, help your servant ... imperial protospatharios, thesmophylax and judge of the Thrakesioi.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 3: West, Northwest, and Central Asia Minor and the Orient (Open in Zotero)
- Constantini Porphyrogeniti De cerimoniis aulae byzantinae (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional, and Social Survey of the Opsikion and Tagmata, c. 580-900 (Open in Zotero)
- Theophanis Chronographia (Open in Zotero)
- L’histoire et la géographie de la région de Smyrne entre les deux occupations turques (1081-1317), particulièrement au XIIIe siècle (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- “Thrakien” und “Thrakesion” (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The third letter of the fourth line is not clear. The central portion of the upright shaft curves slightly, and it is quite possible that the engraver, initially incising the letter κ, corrected himself and attempted to recarve the abbreviation sign: S.