Theophanes asekretis, judge of Crete and of the Cycladic Islands (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of St. George holding spear and shield. Inscription in two columns: |Γ|Ε|Ρ|Γ,: Ὁ ἅγιος Γεώργιος. No visible border.
Reverse
Inscription of six lines preceded by decoration. No visible border.
ΘΕΟΦΑΝ,
ΑΣΗΚΡΗΤ,
ΚΡΙΤΗΚΡΗ
ΤΗΣΤΝ
.ΥΚΛΑΔ
.ΗΣ,
Θεοφάνει ἀσηκρῆτις, κριτῇ Κρήτης καὶ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων
Obverse
Bust of St. George holding spear and shield. Inscription in two columns: |Γ|Ε|Ρ|Γ,: Ὁ ἅγιος Γεώργιος. No visible border.
Reverse
Inscription of six lines preceded by decoration. No visible border.
ΘΕΟΦΑΝ,
ΑΣΗΚΡΗΤ,
ΚΡΙΤΗΚΡΗ
ΤΗΣΤΝ
.ΥΚΛΑΔ
.ΗΣ,
Θεοφάνει ἀσηκρῆτις, κριτῇ Κρήτης καὶ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.4640 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 21.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 42.4. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Θεοφάνει ἀσηκρῆτις, κριτῇ Κρήτης καὶ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων.
Theophanes asekretis, judge of Crete and of the Cycladic Islands.
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)
- Some Unpublished Lead Seals concerning Crete (Open in Zotero)
- Les îles de l’empire byzantin: VIIIe-XIIe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
- Molivdovuly grečeskogo Vostoka (Open in Zotero)
- Corinth, Vol. 12, The Minor Objects (Open in Zotero)
- Patmiakē Vivliothēkē: ētoi neos katalogos tōn cheirographōn kōdikōn tēs Hieras Monēs Hagiou Iōannou tou Theologou Patmou (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The Cyclades appear as a geographic/administrative entity in the late seventh century with two seals of kommerkiarioi (687/89, 696/97: Zacos-Veglery, nos. 163 = our no. 42.5 / BZS 1951.31.5.1792, 196); later the name was replaced by ton Neson, which appears on seals of kommerkiarioi of the early 8th century. The fiscal entity of the Cyclades (subordinate to Samos?) is still attested in the ninth century (DO Seals 2, no. 42.6), and the maritime theme of the Cyclades was formed after 949 and before the taktikon of the Escorial (971-975; Listes, 361). We have some seals of strategoi and judges (Zacos, Seals II, nos. 287, 799, 992; Lihačev, Molivdovuly, 111; Corinth, no. 2752; on the contrary, Corinth, no. 2704, belongs to a strategos of Hellas; information kindly provided by A. Dunn). Other 11th century officials of this theme are mentioned in the documents of Patmos. Then the administrative unit of the Cyclades disappears in the 12th century. Before that, in all cases where the term is used in an administrative context, Cyclades seem to mean the ancient province of Nesoi, centered in today's Dodecanese and all the way to Lesbos (AnalBoll 18 [1899] 212).
See Listes, 361; Patmos I and II, index; Malamut, Iles, 302, 306, 311-12, 316, 318-19, 327.