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Basil metropolitan of Philippoupolis (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. Michael holding scepter ornamented with three balls and globus. Sigla: Μ|Ι: Μιχαήλ. Circular inscription, beginning at 12 o'clock, along the circumference between double border of dots.

ΚΕΟΗΘ,ΤΣΔΟΥΛΑΣΙΛΕΙ

Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ

Reverse

Bust of St. John the Theologian holding book. Inscription in two columns: |Ι̅|ΟΘ|Ε|ΟΛ|Γ,: Ὁ ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Θεολόγος. Circular inscription between double border of dots.

ΜΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΗΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥΠ.ΛΕΣ

Βασιλείῳ μητροπολίτῃ Φιλιππουπόλεως

Obverse

Bust of St. Michael holding scepter ornamented with three balls and globus. Sigla: Μ|Ι: Μιχαήλ. Circular inscription, beginning at 12 o'clock, along the circumference between double border of dots.

ΚΕΟΗΘ,ΤΣΔΟΥΛΑΣΙΛΕΙ

Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ

Reverse

Bust of St. John the Theologian holding book. Inscription in two columns: |Ι̅|ΟΘ|Ε|ΟΛ|Γ,: Ὁ ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Θεολόγος. Circular inscription between double border of dots.

ΜΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΗΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥΠ.ΛΕΣ

Βασιλείῳ μητροπολίτῃ Φιλιππουπόλεως

Accession number BZS.1955.1.4803
Diameter 30.0 mm; field: 23.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 1, no. 68.1.
Cf. Jordanov, Corpus I, no. 77.3. Laurent (Corpus V/1, no. 68) published a similar seal from the Museum at Antioch; cf. Laurent, Corpus V/3, Concordance, no. 687; another specimen is published in Zacos, Seals II, no. 381. The DO specimen is from the same boulloterion as the Jordanov specimen, but from a different one than the Antioch and Zacos seals.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Βασιλείῳ μητροπολίτῃ Φιλιππουπόλεως.

Lord, help your servant Basil metropolitan of Phlippoupolis.

Commentary

The owner of this seal may well be identical to the metropolitan of 1092 (Grumel, Regestes, nos. 963 and 965), as suggested by Laurent.

Modern Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Philippoupolis, so named already in the second century B.C. after Philip II of Macedonia, also had Philip the Deacon as its patron saint (cf. DO Seals 1, no. 68.2). From the fourth century on, it was an important administrative center and ecclesiastical metropolis. See Zakythinos, Mélétai 18 (1948) 60-61; Laurent, Corpus V/1, 518-19; Asdracha, Rhodopespassim, esp. 154-62.

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)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
  • Μελέται περὶ τῆς διοικητικῆς διαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπαρχιακῆς διοικήσεως ἐν τῷ βυζαντινῷ κράτει (Open in Zotero)
  • La région des Rhodopes aux XIIIe et XIVe siècles: étude de géographie historique (Open in Zotero)