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Eustathios epi tou kanikleiou, ethnarches and grand droungarios of the fleet (twelfth century)

 
 

Obverse

The Mother of God seated on a backless throne, holding the child in her lap. Sigla: ̅θυ̅ : Μή(τη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Between two concentric circles of dots, an inscription along the circumference, beginning with a cross at twelve o'clock:

τκανικλειησφραγισευαθι

τοῦ κανικλείου ἡ σφραγὶς Εὐσταθίου

Reverse

St. Michael standing with open wings, holding a long labarum in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left. Sigla: Χ|ΑΧ|Μ : Ἀ(ρ)χ(άγγελος) Μ(ι)χ(αήλ). A circular inscription along the circumference, set between concentric borders of dots.

αρχοντοςεθννολχελανιν

ἄρχοντος ἐθνῶν (καὶ) στόλου χελανδίων

Obverse

The Mother of God seated on a backless throne, holding the child in her lap. Sigla: ̅θυ̅ : Μή(τη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Between two concentric circles of dots, an inscription along the circumference, beginning with a cross at twelve o'clock:

τκανικλειησφραγισευαθι

τοῦ κανικλείου ἡ σφραγὶς Εὐσταθίου

Reverse

St. Michael standing with open wings, holding a long labarum in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left. Sigla: Χ|ΑΧ|Μ : Ἀ(ρ)χ(άγγελος) Μ(ι)χ(αήλ). A circular inscription along the circumference, set between concentric borders of dots.

αρχοντοςεθννολχελανιν

ἄρχοντος ἐθνῶν (καὶ) στόλου χελανδίων

Accession number BZS.1955.1.4060
Diameter 24.0 mm
Previous Editions

Oikonomides, Dated Seals, no. 106.

Translation

τοῦ κανικλείου ἡ σφραγὶς Εὐσταθίου ἄρχοντος ἐθνῶν καὶ στόλου χελανδίων.

The seal of Eustathios, epi tou kanikleiou, commander of foreign mercenaries and a fleet of warships.

Commentary

This seal presents an interesting owner and combination of titles. The eunuch Eustathios Kymineianos is known to have been a poet and may well have crafted the inscription himself. His titles and offices are given in poetic form to accommodate the metre. As epi tou kanikleiou, he served in the imperial chancery, but as ethnarches (commander of a contingent of foreign mercenaries) and droungarios tou stolou he held military rank as well. See Oikonomides's article, "Ὁ μέγας δρουγγάριος Εὐστάθιος Κυμινειανὸς καὶ ἡ σφραγὶδα του," Βυζαντινὰ 13 (1985), 899-907.

Bibliography