Nicholas protonotarios and dioiketes of Achaïa (tenth century)
Obverse
Bust of St. Nicholas blessing and holding the book. Vertical inscription: Ο|ΑΓΙ|Ο,Ν|Ι|ΚΟ|Λ, : Ὁ ἅγιος Νικόλαος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
ΝΙΚΟΛ,
ΑΝΟΤΑΡ,
ΔΙΥΚΙΤ,
ΑΧΑΙΑΣ
Νικολάῳ πρωτονοταρίῳ καὶ διυκιτῇ Ἀχαΐας
Obverse
Bust of St. Nicholas blessing and holding the book. Vertical inscription: Ο|ΑΓΙ|Ο,Ν|Ι|ΚΟ|Λ, : Ὁ ἅγιος Νικόλαος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
ΝΙΚΟΛ,
ΑΝΟΤΑΡ,
ΔΙΥΚΙΤ,
ΑΧΑΙΑΣ
Νικολάῳ πρωτονοταρίῳ καὶ διυκιτῇ Ἀχαΐας
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.2602 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 23.0 mm; field: 18.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 23.1. |
Translation
Νικολάῳ πρωτονοταρίῳ καὶ διυκιτῇ Ἀχαΐας.
Nicholas protonotarios and dioiketes of Achaia.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor (Open in Zotero)
- De Administrando Imperio (Open in Zotero)
- La Morée franque: Recherches historiques, topographiques et archéologiques sur la principauté d’Achaïe (1205-1430) (Open in Zotero)
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The ancient name Achaïa (cf. ODB I, 11) is used in the De Adm. Imp. (chap. 49, line 43) in reference to a whole region in the northwestern part of the Peloponnesos (Patras) (?): this was a survival of the ancient meaning of the term, unrelated to the Roman province of Achaïa, which included all the Peloponnesos and most of mainland Greece. Moreover, to the west of Patras, there are two towns, Ano and Kato Achaïa, one of which is also mentioned in the Chronicle of Morea (Bon, Morée franque, 305, 457) and may have been identical to the town and bishopric of Moreas (cf. DO Seals 2, § 32 ). We assume that the seal published below refers to this particular region or even to the town of Achaïa (on which see also Fl. Evangelatou-Notara, "Χώρα, Ἀχαΐας," Πρακτικὰ Β′ Τοπικοῦ Συνεδρίου Ἀχαïκῶν Σπουδῶν [Athens, 1986] 219-24). The other dioiketai, whom we know, define their jurisdiction by the name of a theme (e.g. Sicily, Thrace, and Hellas: DO Seals 1, 5.1, 71.5; and DO Seals 2, nos. 8.6-9), or a region (Euboia, DO Seals 2, no. 13.1), or a city (e.g. Adrianoupolis, Hexamilion, and Raidestos: DO Seals 1, 44.6, 54.1, 59.2-4.