N., imperial spatharokandidatos and kleisouriarches of Seleukeia (ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram of indeterminate type. In the quarters: .Σ|.Λ : [τ]ῷ σῷ δούλῳ. No border visible.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
....Π
ΡΟΚΝ.
ΚΛΙΣΡΙ
ΡΧ,ΣΕΛΕΥΚ/
. . . [σ]πα[θα]ροκανδ[(ι)δ(άτῳ)] (καὶ) κλισουριάρχ(ῃ) Σελευκ(είας).
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram of indeterminate type. In the quarters: .Σ|.Λ : [τ]ῷ σῷ δούλῳ. No border visible.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
....Π
ΡΟΚΝ.
ΚΛΙΣΡΙ
ΡΧ,ΣΕΛΕΥΚ/
. . . [σ]πα[θα]ροκανδ[(ι)δ(άτῳ)] (καὶ) κλισουριάρχ(ῃ) Σελευκ(είας).
| Accession number | BZS 1955.1.1306 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 6.15; Zacos-Veglery, no. 2667. |
Translation
Κύριε/Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ . . . σπαθαροκανδιδάτῳ καὶ κλισουριάρχῃ Σελευκείας.
Lord/Mother of God, help your servant N., [imperial] spatharokandidatos and kleisouriarches of Seleukeia.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 5: The East (continued), Constantinople and Environs, Unknown Locations, Addenda, Uncertain Readings (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Following the loss of Cilicia to the Arabs in the eighth century, the region of Seleukeia was reorganized for the defense of the Byzantine borderlands and became an administrative and military kleisoura, first attested in the first half of the ninth century, and which was elevated to a theme during the reign of Romanos I, between 927 and 934.
The addition of βασιλικός ("imperial") to the title protospatharios is conjectural, but is associated with the office of kleisouriarches on other seals (see commentary under BZS.1955.1.863).