Basil spatharokandidatos, asekretis and chrysoteles of the Anatolikoi (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of beardless, curly-haired saint; details unclear. Illegible remains of vertical inscriptions. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of seven lines. Border of dots.
ΚΕΘ,
..ΣΙΛΙ
...ΘΑΡ,ΚΑ
..ΑΤ,ΑΣ,ΚΡ
..ΤΟΥ
ΑΝΑΤΟΛ
.Κ
Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) [Βα]σιλίῳ [σπα]θαρ(ο)κα[νδ(ι)δ]άτ(ῳ) ἀσ(η)κρ[ῆτ(ις)] (καὶ) χρ(υσοτελεῖ) τοῦ Ἀνατολικοῦ
Obverse
Bust of beardless, curly-haired saint; details unclear. Illegible remains of vertical inscriptions. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of seven lines. Border of dots.
ΚΕΘ,
..ΣΙΛΙ
...ΘΑΡ,ΚΑ
..ΑΤ,ΑΣ,ΚΡ
..ΤΟΥ
ΑΝΑΤΟΛ
.Κ
Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) [Βα]σιλίῳ [σπα]θαρ(ο)κα[νδ(ι)δ]άτ(ῳ) ἀσ(η)κρ[ῆτ(ις)] (καὶ) χρ(υσοτελεῖ) τοῦ Ἀνατολικοῦ
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.2235 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 25.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 86.15. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει Βασιλίῳ σπαθαροκανδιδάτῳ ἀσηκρῆτις καὶ χρυσοτελεῖ τοῦ Ἀνατολικοῦ.
Lord, help Basil spatharokandidatos, asekretis, and chrysoteles of the Anatolikon.
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)
- The Life of Saint Nikon: Text, Translation, and Commentary (Open in Zotero)
- Les sceaux byzantins de la Collection Henri Seyrig (Open in Zotero)
- Μεσαιωνικὴ βιβλιοθήκη (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Documents de sigillographie byzantine: La collection C. Orghidan (Open in Zotero)
- Sceaux byzantins du Musée National de Varsovie (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The rare office of chrysoteles, obviously a tax collector subordinate to the judge, appears in texts around the year 1000; see D. Sullivan, The Life of St. Nikon Metanoeite (Brookline, Mass., 1987), chap. 58, line 13. See also Seyrig, no. 176 and Sathas, MBV, 258-59.
A strategos of the Anatolikoi is attested from 669 until the end of the eleventh century when he was replaced by a doux. The theme initially included the western and the southern parts of Asia Minor, but already in the 8th century the new themes of the Thrakesioi and of the Kibyrraiotai were detached from it (cf. DOSeals § 3.1, 3.2, and 2.59). For reasons of tradition and in spite of the rather low economic situation of his theme that was limited to the plateau, the strategos of the Anatolikoi had precedence over all other military commanders and civil administrators, including the domestikos of the Schools, who was the general-in-chief of the Byzantine army. Sometimes we find mention of monostrategoi ton Anatolikon (Zacos-Veglery, no. 1690A; and Laurent, Orghidan, no. 196 [uncertain reading]), but one would tend to understand "monostrategoi of the Anatolika themata." The theme eventually acquired all the typical instituions, including some tourmarchai of the Anatolikoi, no doubt officers in charge of the contingent raised at the seat of the strategos (Zacos-Veglery, no. 2662; SBS 3 [1993] 198; Szemioth-Wasilewski, no. 45 [very uncertain reading]). We also find kommerkiarioi of the Anatolikoi (SBS 3 [1993] 172, 180).
Special mention should be made of the presence of chartoularioi of the dromos of the Anatolikoi, officials no doubt related to the horse breeding ranches of the government that existed in the region (no. 86.11 below).
See Listes, 348 (bibliography); Winkelmann, Ämterstruktur, 76-79, 120-21.