John Anzas, magistros (eleventh century, second half)
Obverse
Standing military saint, perhaps Prokopios, holding a spear in his right hand and a sheathed sword in his left. Illegible inscription. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Indeterminate border.
ΣΦΡΑ
ΓΙΣΙ̅ΜΑ
ΓΙΣΤΡΟΥ
ΤΑΝ
ΖΑ
σφραγὶς Ἰω(άννου) μαγίστρου τοῦ Ἀνζᾶ
Obverse
Standing military saint, perhaps Prokopios, holding a spear in his right hand and a sheathed sword in his left. Illegible inscription. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Indeterminate border.
ΣΦΡΑ
ΓΙΣΙ̅ΜΑ
ΓΙΣΤΡΟΥ
ΤΑΝ
ΖΑ
σφραγὶς Ἰω(άννου) μαγίστρου τοῦ Ἀνζᾶ
| Accession number | BZS.1947.2.1004 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 17.0 mm; field: 12.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | Nesbitt and Seibt, “Anzas Family,” 199, fig. 11 |
Translation
σφραγὶς Ἰωάννου μαγίστρου τοῦ Ἀνζᾶ.
Seal of John Anzas, magistros.
Bibliography
- Byzantine Lead Seals from Cyprus (Open in Zotero)
- The Anzas Family: Members of the Byzantine Civil Administration in the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Centuries (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Two small seals, dating from the last quarter of the eleventh century or the beginning of the twelfth, belonged to a John Anzas, magistros. The first is preserved in the Shaw Collection (this specimen) and the second was found in Cyprus, and is in a Cypriot private collection; see Metcalf, Byzantine Lead Seals from Cyprus, 264–65, no. 228