John bishop (eleventh century)
Obverse
Bust of the Mother of God orans, the medallion of Christ before her. Sigla on either side: μ̅θυ̅ : Μ(ήτηρ) Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
.φ̣ραγι̣σ̣
ι̅επισ
κοπγ,
αφη̣σ̣
[σ]φραγὶς Ἰω(άννῃ) ἐπισκόπῳ γ(ρ)αφῆς
Obverse
Bust of the Mother of God orans, the medallion of Christ before her. Sigla on either side: μ̅θυ̅ : Μ(ήτηρ) Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Border of dots.
.φ̣ραγι̣σ̣
ι̅επισ
κοπγ,
αφη̣σ̣
[σ]φραγὶς Ἰω(άννῃ) ἐπισκόπῳ γ(ρ)αφῆς
| Accession number | BZS.1977.34.31 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 15.0 mm; field: 13.0 mm |
| Condition | Blank too small for die. |
Translation
σφραγὶς Ἰωάννῃ ἐπισκόπῳ γραφῆς.
The letter's seal belongs to the bishop John.
Commentary
The poor state of the epigraphy on this seal makes the reading of the inscription provisional. If our transcription is correct, the inscription seems to be metrical in intent, if not in result, consisting of two six-syllable hemistichs in a rather clumsy dodecasyllabic verse.