Leo bishop of Phokia (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin orans, the medallion of Christ before her. On either side the sigla: μ̅-θ̅ : Μ(ήτηρ) Θ(εοῦ). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, a cross above and a decoration below. Border of dots.
+
θκ̅εRθ,
λεοντι
επισκοπ
φκιασ
– · –
Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)θ(ει) Λέοντι ἐισκόπ(ῳ) Φωκίας
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin orans, the medallion of Christ before her. On either side the sigla: μ̅-θ̅ : Μ(ήτηρ) Θ(εοῦ). Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, a cross above and a decoration below. Border of dots.
+
θκ̅εRθ,
λεοντι
επισκοπ
φκιασ
– · –
Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)θ(ει) Λέοντι ἐισκόπ(ῳ) Φωκίας
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.94 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 19.0 mm; field: 13.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 29.1. Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 746. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει Λέοντι ἐισκόπῳ Φωκίας.
Mother of God, help Leo, bishop of Phokia.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 3: West, Northwest, and Central Asia Minor and the Orient (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Les évêchés suffragants d’Ephèse aux 5e-13e siècles (Open in Zotero)
- L’histoire et la géographie de la région de Smyrne entre les deux occupations turques (1081-1317), particulièrement au XIIIe siècle (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The first known bishop of Phokaia (modern Foça, northwest of Smyrna) was attested in 451. This was a bishopric initially suffragan to Ephesos, then, in the mid-ninth century, detached and given to the newly created province of Smyrna. It will be contested again in the fourteenth century. See Laurent, Corpus V/1, 199; Culerrier, Suffragants d'Ephèse, 158 (episcopal list); Arhweiler, Smyrne, 82-84.