Manuel or Michael (?) imperial protospatharios and strategos of the Thrakesioi (eighth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (of indeterminate type); in the four quarters: .-σ|δ-λ. Wreath border.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Wreath border:
.λβ//σ
θ/κ/στρ
../γτν
Θρκισ/
.....λ β(ασιλικῷ) (πρωτο)σ[π]αθ(αρίῳ) κ(αὶ) στρα[τ](η)γῷ τῶν Θρᾳκισ(ίων)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (of indeterminate type); in the four quarters: .-σ|δ-λ. Wreath border.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Wreath border:
.λβ//σ
θ/κ/στρ
../γτν
Θρκισ/
.....λ β(ασιλικῷ) (πρωτο)σ[π]αθ(αρίῳ) κ(αὶ) στρα[τ](η)γῷ τῶν Θρᾳκισ(ίων)
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.1315 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 25.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 2.44. Zacos-Veglery, no. 2633. |
Translation
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ .....λ βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ τῶν Θρᾳκισίων.
Lord or Mother of God, help your servant ...l, imperial protospatharios and strategos 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)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The first legible letter of the reverse is definitely λ (not an α, as read by Zacos-Veglery) and it is not followed by an abbreviation mark. The owner's name could thus be any name ending in λ, such as Μανουήλ, Μιχαήλ, or Δανιήλ. The first two are more likely.