Artabasdos (?) vestes (?) judge of the Hippodrome of the Peloponnesos and Hellas (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ΜΡ̅.. : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Circular inscription between two borders of dots.
ΘΚΕˊΘˊΑΡΤ[
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Ἀρταβάσδῳ
Reverse
Inscription of six lines; final three letters between bars. Border of dots.
.
.ΙΚΡ,ΤΙ
Π,ΤΙΠ,ΔΡ,
.ΠΕΛ,ΠΟΝ,
ΣΟΥΕΛΑ
ΔΟΣ
.... βέστι, κριτῖ, ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἱπποδρόμου Πελοποννήσου καὶ Ἑλάδος.
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ΜΡ̅.. : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Circular inscription between two borders of dots.
ΘΚΕˊΘˊΑΡΤ[
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Ἀρταβάσδῳ
Reverse
Inscription of six lines; final three letters between bars. Border of dots.
.
.ΙΚΡ,ΤΙ
Π,ΤΙΠ,ΔΡ,
.ΠΕΛ,ΠΟΝ,
ΣΟΥΕΛΑ
ΔΟΣ
.... βέστι, κριτῖ, ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἱπποδρόμου Πελοποννήσου καὶ Ἑλάδος.
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.2862 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 8.14. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Ἀρταβάσδῳ (?) .... βέστ(?)ι, κριτῖ, ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἱπποδρόμου Πελοποννήσου καὶ Ἑλάδος.
Mother of God, help Artabasdos (?) vestes (?), judge of the Hippodrome of the Peloponnesos and Hellas.
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)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Le Peloponnese byzantin jusqu’en 1204 (Open in Zotero)
- Du stratège de thème au duc: chronologie de l’évolution au cours du XIe siècle (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Hellas und Thessalia (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
- Die byzantinische Armee im 10. und 11. Jahrhundert: Studien zur Organisation der Tagmata (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
We assume that the circular inscription of the obverse contained the name (the reading of which is not absolutely secure) and one title, such as magistros or patrikios. As the revers inscription appears to be lacking only one line, we suspect that it contained a second honorific title, such as vestes or asekretis.