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Peter protekdikos of the Great Church (eleventh/twelfth centuries)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God orans with a medallion of Christ before her. At left and right: Μ̅Θ̅ : Μ(ήτηρ) Θ(εοῦ). Beginning at 12 o'clock, circular inscription within a double border of dots.

θκεοηθεισδουλπετρ

Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθει σῷ δούλῳ Πέτρῳ

Reverse

Inscription of five lines preceded by a cross. Border of dots.


τ͂του
μεγΊστου
Ῑεροῦπρ
τεκδΊ
κ

τῷ τοῦ μεγίστου ἱεροῦ πρωτεκδίκῳ

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God orans with a medallion of Christ before her. At left and right: Μ̅Θ̅ : Μ(ήτηρ) Θ(εοῦ). Beginning at 12 o'clock, circular inscription within a double border of dots.

θκεοηθεισδουλπετρ

Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθει σῷ δούλῳ Πέτρῳ

Reverse

Inscription of five lines preceded by a cross. Border of dots.


τ͂του
μεγΊστου
Ῑεροῦπρ
τεκδΊ
κ

τῷ τοῦ μεγίστου ἱεροῦ πρωτεκδίκῳ

Accession number BZS.1958.106.5532
Diameter 23.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 5 no. 42.42; Laurent, Corpus 5.3: no. 1649. See also Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 919.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει σῷ δούλῳ Πέτρῳ τῷ τοῦ μεγίστου ἱεροῦ πρωτεκδίκῳ.

Mother of God, help your servant Peter, the protekdikos of the Great Church.

Commentary

Twelve-syllable verse on reverse. On the obverse, the definite article τῷ may have been deliberately omitted after βοήθει for metrical purposes.

Accent marks on the reverse.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 5: The East (continued), Constantinople and Environs, Unknown Locations, Addenda, Uncertain Readings (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 1, Siegellegenden von Alpha bis inclusive My (Open in Zotero)