John (?) imperial protospatharios epi tou Chrysotriklinou (?) and domestikos of the exkoubitoi of the West (tenth/eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of St. John the Theologian holding a book in front of him; details obscure. Inscription visible at left: ο|ι|ο: Ὁ (ἅγιος) Ἰω(άννης) ὁ [Θεολ(όγος)]. Traces of circular inscription along a border of dots.
κεοη
Κ(ύρι)ε βοή[θει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰω(άννῃ)]
Reverse
Inscription in five lines. Border of dots.
,α,
επιτ,
δομεσ
κι,
δυσεο,
β(ασιλικῷ) (πρωτο)[σπαθ(αρίῳ)] ἐπι τ(οῦ) [Χρ(υσο)(τρι)κ(λίνου) (?) (καὶ)] δομεσ[τ(ίκῳ) ἐ]ξκουβί(των) [τ(ῆς)] Δύσεο(ς)
Obverse
Bust of St. John the Theologian holding a book in front of him; details obscure. Inscription visible at left: ο|ι|ο: Ὁ (ἅγιος) Ἰω(άννης) ὁ [Θεολ(όγος)]. Traces of circular inscription along a border of dots.
κεοη
Κ(ύρι)ε βοή[θει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰω(άννῃ)]
Reverse
Inscription in five lines. Border of dots.
,α,
επιτ,
δομεσ
κι,
δυσεο,
β(ασιλικῷ) (πρωτο)[σπαθ(αρίῳ)] ἐπι τ(οῦ) [Χρ(υσο)(τρι)κ(λίνου) (?) (καὶ)] δομεσ[τ(ίκῳ) ἐ]ξκουβί(των) [τ(ῆς)] Δύσεο(ς)
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.2872 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 20.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1 no. 1.17. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰωάννῃ (?) βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ ἐπι τοῦ Χρυσοτρικλίνου (?) καὶ δομεστίκῳ ἐξκουβίτων τῆς Δύσεως.
Lord, help your servant John (?) imperial protospatharios epi tou Chrysotriklinou (?) and domestikos of the exkoubitoi of the West.
Bibliography
- 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)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- L’évolution de l’organisation administrative de l’empire byzantin au XIe siècle (1025–1118) (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Since the owner's patron is St. John the Theologian, it is quite possible that his name was Ἰωάννης. This hypothesis is supported by the brief space allotted for the name at the beginning of the line.
In the late tenth century, the Constantinopolitan tagma second in importance, the exkoubitoi, was divided into three contingents: the East, the West, and one that likely remained in Constantinople. The latter is the only one that seems to have survived into the eleventh century (Listes 265, lines 16-17; 271, line 18; 330; cf., Oikonomides, Evolution, 143); the other exkoubitoi disappear from the sources before 1082 as a result of the disaster of Manzikert. The exkoubitoi of the West are most probably closely related to the exkoubitoi of Hellas, mentioned in Kakaumenos 280, 282, and may have been stationed in that theme.