Skip to Content

George imperial protospatharios and archon of Chios (tenth century)

 
 

Obverse

Patriarchal cross on three steps with fleurons arising from base (up to first cross bar). Circular inscription between two borders of dots.

ΚΕΟΗΘΗΤΣΔΟΥΛ

Κύριε βοήθη τῷ σῷ δούλῳ

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

ΓΕΟΡ
ΓΙΣΠ
ΘΡΡ
ΧΟΝΤΤ
ΣΧΙΟΥ

Γεοργίῳ βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ ἄρχοντι τς Χίου

Obverse

Patriarchal cross on three steps with fleurons arising from base (up to first cross bar). Circular inscription between two borders of dots.

ΚΕΟΗΘΗΤΣΔΟΥΛ

Κύριε βοήθη τῷ σῷ δούλῳ

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

ΓΕΟΡ
ΓΙΣΠ
ΘΡΡ
ΧΟΝΤΤ
ΣΧΙΟΥ

Γεοργίῳ βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ ἄρχοντι τς Χίου

Accession number BZS.1958.106.4242
Diameter 23.0 mm; field: 19.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 2, no. 41.2.
Cf. similar specimen, from the same boulloterion, in Zacos, Seals I, no. 154.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθη τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Γεοργίῳ βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ ἄρχοντι τῆς Χίου.

Lord, help your servant George imperial protospatharios and archon of Chios.

Commentary

We know of three more seals of archontes Chiou (Sig., 196: imperial kourator and archon; Laurent, Orghidan, no. 204; Zacos, Seals II, no. 154), which are earlier than or contemporary to the present specimens. Malamut (Iles, 300) discusses the problem and wonders why this archon is not mentioned in the Taktikon Uspenskij. In fact, exactly at the point where the archontes are mentioned, this taktikon may have a lacuna of some letters or of a whole line (Listes, 57) in which several more archontes might well have been mentioned. Thus we shall not insist on the silence of the taktikon Uspenskij. We suppose that these archontes must have been similar to the ones of Cyprus. The mention of a kourator in Chios invites one to think of an imperial domain on the island, perhaps connected to the oikoproasteion mentioned in the tale of the foundation of Nea Moni (MM V, 445-46).

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
  • Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Documents de sigillographie byzantine: La collection C. Orghidan (Open in Zotero)
  • Les îles de l’empire byzantin: VIIIe-XIIe siècles (Open in Zotero)
  • Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
  • Μελέται περὶ τῆς διοικητικῆς διαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπαρχιακῆς διοικήσεως ἐν τῷ βυζαντινῷ κράτει (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)