Niketas (eleventh/twelfth century)
Obverse
Bust of a military saint. No details or epigraphy visible. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, a cross above. Border of dots.
nikht,
mρτ,σκε
πεσονοι
κετην
Νικήτ(αν), μάρτ(υς), σκέπε σὸν οἰκέτην
Obverse
Bust of a military saint. No details or epigraphy visible. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, a cross above. Border of dots.
nikht,
mρτ,σκε
πεσονοι
κετην
Νικήτ(αν), μάρτ(υς), σκέπε σὸν οἰκέτην
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.725 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 1478. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Νικήταν, μάρτυς, σκέπε σὸν οἰκέτην.
Martyr, protect your servant Niketas.
Bibliography
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 2, Siegellegenden von Ny bis inklusive Sphragis (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The inscription is one syllable short of a twelve-syllable verse, but as the intention seems metrical we have noted it as such. The addition of τὸν before σὸν would have made it a proper dodecasyllable.