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Niketas priest (eleventh century, second half)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. John the Evangelist, facing, with gestures and traits indistinct. Inscription visible to the right: ΟΛ|.ΓΟ|Σ: [ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἰω(άννης) Θε]ολ[ό]γος. Indeterminate border.

Reverse

Inscription in five lines. Border of dots.

ΣΚΕ
ΠΟΙΣΘΥΤΗ
ΝΙΚΗΤΑΝ
ΗΓΑΠΗΜΕ
 ΝΕ 

σκέποις θύτην Νικήταν ἠγαπήμενε

Obverse

Bust of St. John the Evangelist, facing, with gestures and traits indistinct. Inscription visible to the right: ΟΛ|.ΓΟ|Σ: [ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἰω(άννης) Θε]ολ[ό]γος. Indeterminate border.

Reverse

Inscription in five lines. Border of dots.

ΣΚΕ
ΠΟΙΣΘΥΤΗ
ΝΙΚΗΤΑΝ
ΗΓΑΠΗΜΕ
 ΝΕ 

σκέποις θύτην Νικήταν ἠγαπήμενε

Accession number BZS.1947.2.1545
Diameter 19.0 mm
Previous Editions

Laurent, Corpus V/2, no. 1101. See also Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 2018.

Translation

σκέποις θύτην Νικήταν, ἠγαπήμενε.

May you protect Niketas the priest, beloved one.

Commentary

Dodecasyllabic. The title thytes here could also refer to a bishop, and as Laurent points out, perhaps to the metropolitan of Ephesos with which St. John the Evangelist is associated.

Bibliography