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Basil II (976–1025)

 
 

Obverse

Half-length representation of Christ Emmanuel, bearded, wearing a chiton and himation. He raises his right hand in blessing and holds in his left a book decorated with a row of four pellets along the upper border. He has a nimbus cruciger, each arm of which contains an ornament consisting of two pellets. At left and right, sigla IC-XC: Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς Χ(ριστό)ς. Circular inscription. Border of dots.

ΕΜΜΑΝΟΥΗΛ

Ἐμμανουήλ

Reverse

Half-length representation of Basil II, wearing a crown with a cross and jeweled band and a loros. He holds in his right hand a globus surmounted by a (patriarchal or simple) cross and an akakia in his left. Circular inscription. Border of dots.

ASILACRAR

Basil(ios) aut(o)crat(o)r.

Obverse

Half-length representation of Christ Emmanuel, bearded, wearing a chiton and himation. He raises his right hand in blessing and holds in his left a book decorated with a row of four pellets along the upper border. He has a nimbus cruciger, each arm of which contains an ornament consisting of two pellets. At left and right, sigla IC-XC: Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς Χ(ριστό)ς. Circular inscription. Border of dots.

ΕΜΜΑΝΟΥΗΛ

Ἐμμανουήλ

Reverse

Half-length representation of Basil II, wearing a crown with a cross and jeweled band and a loros. He holds in his right hand a globus surmounted by a (patriarchal or simple) cross and an akakia in his left. Circular inscription. Border of dots.

ASILACRAR

Basil(ios) aut(o)crat(o)r.

Accession number BZS.1955.1.4304 (formerly DO 55.1.4304)
Diameter 29.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 6, no. 68.3; Zacos–Veglery, no. 75b.

Translation

Basilios autocrator.

Basil, autokrator.

Commentary

Basil II reigned from 976 to 1025. His colleague, Constantine VIII, is regularly portrayed with him on gold coins. This series of seals (published as DO Seals 6 no. 68.1-10), however, is fairly rare in not following the coinage, as it differs in both design, the portrayal of Basil II alone, without his brother, and inscription, identifying the emperor as "autokrator" instead of "basileus."

It is not obvious why Constantine’s portrait is absent from this group of imperial seals. Possibly, in the years after 989, when Bardas Phokas had died and Basil II assumed control of the empire’s affairs, he elected to show through his seals that his brother had been shunted aside and that he was in effect sole ruler. Seibt (Bleisiegel, 87) has postulated that the seal type depicting Basil alone appeared in the 990s, but may have remained in use throughout the reign of Basil and Constantine.

 

In some cases Basil’s globus cruciger is surmounted by a patriarchal cross and in others by a simple cross. Another difference arises with regard to the decoration of the arms of Christ’s cross nimbus. Sometimes it consists of a row of two dots and in other instances it is more elaborate.

One should note that six seals of Basil II have been found during excavations in Preslav. See Jordanov, Preslav, nos. 2–7, a testament to his activities in the the Balkans during the second half of his reign.

The emperor's face on this seal is more square and fleshy (as on BZS.1958.106.604, BZS.1958.106.599, and BZS.1958.106.584) rather than long and thin (as on BZS.1955.1.4302 and BZS.1955.1.4303).

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
  • Die byzantinischen Bleisiegel in Österreich, Vol. 1, Kaiserhof (Open in Zotero)
  • Pechatite ot strategii︠a︡ta v Preslav, 971-1088 (Open in Zotero)