Andrew bishop of Andrapa (sixth century)
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4691 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 19 mm |
| Condition | Chipped. |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 4, no. 25.1. Laurent, Corpus V/3, no. 1723 (with misreadings). |
Obverse
Inscription of three lines. Linear border.
δ
πισ
κ.
Ἀνδρέα ἐπισκόπου
Reverse
Inscription of three lines. Linear border.
.
δρ
ππ/
Ἀνδράπων
Translation
Ἀνδρέα ἐπισκόπου Ἀνδράπων.
(Seal of) Andrew, bishop of Andrapa.
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4691 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 19 mm |
| Condition | Chipped. |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 4, no. 25.1. Laurent, Corpus V/3, no. 1723 (with misreadings). |
Bibliography
- Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium
- Galatien und Lykaonien
- Die Städte Kleinasiens im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert
- Η Μικρά Ασία των θεμάτων. Ἐρευνες πάνω στην γεωγραφική φυσιογνωμία και προσωπογραφία των Βυζαντινών θεμάτων της Μικράς Ασίας
- Kleinasiatische Ortsnamen
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, volume 4: The East
- Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin, vol. 5, L’Église
Commentary
Laurent read the first line on the obverse as ΑΟΣ and, assuming that one more line was missing above, restored the name [Νικό]λαος. Since the reverse carries an inscription of three lines, it is reasonable to assume that the obverse inscription has the same. The first visible letter is Α and the letter following is either ι or a broken letter formed at left with an upright bar (which we read as N). The last letter in the line was formed at bottom with a horizontal line, suggesting Δ.
The last letter in the third line on the reverse is definitely not omega. The last line contains the letter π twice indicating that the name has a plural ending.
Andrapa (also known as Neapolis and Neoklaudioupolis), the modern Vezirköprü, was an episcopal see as early as the Vth century. It is mentioned as a bishopric of Helenopontos under the metropolitan of Amaseia in the Notitiae episcopatuum from the VIth to the XIIIth c. (Darrouzès, Notitiae, 209, 357). See Laurent, Corpus V/1, 311 (list of bishops in Fedalto, HEO I, 79-80; Galatien und Lykaonien, 126; Brandes, 123; Zgusta, 75-76; Mikra Asia them., 149.