Tervel kaisar (705-718)
Obverse
Bust of Tervel wearing a beard and long hair. He holds a spear over his right shoulder and a shield on his left; the shield shows a horseman attacking a fallen foe. There is a six-rayed star on either side of Tervel's portrait. Wreath border.
Reverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V). Inscription in the four quarters. Wreath border.
τ|ερβελλι|
κσαροσ
Θεοτόκε βοήθει
Τερβελλίου καίσαρος
Obverse
Bust of Tervel wearing a beard and long hair. He holds a spear over his right shoulder and a shield on his left; the shield shows a horseman attacking a fallen foe. There is a six-rayed star on either side of Tervel's portrait. Wreath border.
Reverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V). Inscription in the four quarters. Wreath border.
τ|ερβελλι|
κσαροσ
Θεοτόκε βοήθει
Τερβελλίου καίσαρος
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.4932 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 37.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | Oikonomides, Dated Seals, no. 26 (with further references). |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει. Τερβελλίου καίσαρος.
Mother of God, lend Thy aid. (Seal of) Tervel, kaisar.
Bibliography
- A Collection of Dated Byzantine Lead Seals (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
This is the Bulgar khan who helped Justinian II to regain the throne in 705 and received the rank of kaisar in return. Oikonomides has noted the resemblance of Tervel's portrait to the imperial portraits on the solidi of the emperor Constantine IV (652-685).