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Herakleios and Herakleios Constantine (ca. 626–29)

 
 

Obverse

The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ, who is framed by an oval mandorla, before her. Her left leg is bent at the knee. A cross potent is visible at left. Wreath border.

Reverse

Isocephalic busts of Herakleios at left and Herakleios Constantine at right. Each wears a crown with a cross and a chlamys fastened on the right shoulder with a fibula. Herakleios is shown with a short beard and Herakleios Constantine is beardless. Herakleios wears his hair long at the sides and curled. Traces of an inscription beginning at left. Indeterminate border.

...NERACL......ERACO........

[D(omini)] n(ostri) Heracl[ius et H]era(clius) Co[nst(antinus) p(er)p(etui) aug(usti)].

Obverse

The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ, who is framed by an oval mandorla, before her. Her left leg is bent at the knee. A cross potent is visible at left. Wreath border.

Reverse

Isocephalic busts of Herakleios at left and Herakleios Constantine at right. Each wears a crown with a cross and a chlamys fastened on the right shoulder with a fibula. Herakleios is shown with a short beard and Herakleios Constantine is beardless. Herakleios wears his hair long at the sides and curled. Traces of an inscription beginning at left. Indeterminate border.

...NERACL......ERACO........

[D(omini)] n(ostri) Heracl[ius et H]era(clius) Co[nst(antinus) p(er)p(etui) aug(usti)].

Accession number BZS.1958.106.489 (formerly DO 58.106.489)
Diameter 23.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 6, no. 15.1.

Translation

Domini nostri Heraclius et Heraclius Constantinus perpetui augusti.

Our lords Herakleios and Herakleios Constantine, eternal augusti.

Commentary

Grierson has dated gold coins of Herakleios and Herakleios Constantine, on which the busts are of equal size (isocephalic), to the years 626–629.

The size of Herakleios Constantine’s bust would seem to indicate (despite the short length of emperor Herakleios’s beard) that this seal was issued when Herakleios Constantine had reached relative maturity. Morrisson, “Du consul à l’empereur,” 259, table 1, is inclined to date the specimen 625–10 April 629.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
  • Du consul à l’empereur: les sceaux d’Héraclius (Open in Zotero)