Maria tourmarchissa (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ΘΥ̅ : [Μ(ήτη)ρ] Θ(εο)ῦ. Traces of a circular inscription within a border of dots.
τσ.δ,
[Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθει] τῷ σ[ῷ] δ(ούλῳ)
Reverse
Inscription in five lines. Border of dots.
̣ΘΚ̅Ε
.ΟΙΘΜ
Ρ̣ΙΤΡΟ
ΜΡΧ.
Σ
Θ(εοτό)κε [β]οίθ[ει] Μαρίᾳ τρομαρχ[ί]σᾳ
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ΘΥ̅ : [Μ(ήτη)ρ] Θ(εο)ῦ. Traces of a circular inscription within a border of dots.
τσ.δ,
[Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθει] τῷ σ[ῷ] δ(ούλῳ)
Reverse
Inscription in five lines. Border of dots.
̣ΘΚ̅Ε
.ΟΙΘΜ
Ρ̣ΙΤΡΟ
ΜΡΧ.
Σ
Θ(εοτό)κε [β]οίθ[ει] Μαρίᾳ τρομαρχ[ί]σᾳ
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4539 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ. Θεοτόκε βοίθει Μαρίᾳ τρομαρχίσᾳ.
Theotokos, help your servant. Theotokos, help the tourmarchissa Maria.
Commentary
The obverse of this seal presents an interesting problem: the invocation in the circular inscription is redundant with the invocation in the reverse inscription, and even more importantly, it is an invocation for a masculine seal owner, when this is the seal of a female tourmarchissa. This seal likely shows how seals like this were put together in the eleventh century; the obverse containing Virgin with an invocation on the circumference was done in a standard manner, ignoring the obverse inscription with the expectation of a dative masculine name and titles/offices on the reverse.