......ros imperial spatharios and domestikos of the Optimatoi (ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (of indeterminate type). Visible in the lower quarters: .Λ. No visible border.
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει [τῷ σῷ δού]λῳ
Reverse
Inscription. No visible border.
....
..ΡΒ
.Α/ΔΟΜ
ΣΤ/Τ/ΟΠ
.....
[.....]ρῳ β(ασιλικῷ) [σπ]α(θαρίῳ) (καὶ) δομ[ε]στ(ίκῳ) τ(ῶν) Ὀπ[τιμάτ(ων)]
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (of indeterminate type). Visible in the lower quarters: .Λ. No visible border.
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει [τῷ σῷ δού]λῳ
Reverse
Inscription. No visible border.
....
..ΡΒ
.Α/ΔΟΜ
ΣΤ/Τ/ΟΠ
.....
[.....]ρῳ β(ασιλικῷ) [σπ]α(θαρίῳ) (καὶ) δομ[ε]στ(ίκῳ) τ(ῶν) Ὀπ[τιμάτ(ων)]
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.1210 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 26.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 71.16. |
Translation
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ .....ρῳ βασιλικῷ σπαθαρίῳ καὶ δομεστίκῳ τῶν Ὀπτιμάτων.
Lord or Mother of God, help your servant .....ros, imperial spatharios and domestikos of the Optimatoi.
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)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Documents de sigillographie byzantine: La collection C. Orghidan (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional, and Social Survey of the Opsikion and Tagmata, c. 580-900 (Open in Zotero)
- Die byzantinische Armee im 10. und 11. Jahrhundert: Studien zur Organisation der Tagmata (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The penultimate letter in the name is very close to an Ρ, and for this reason we reject the suggestion of Zacos-Veglery that the name could be Θεοδοσίῳ. It quite likely is Theodoros.