Eustathios, asekretis and judge of Seleukeia and Tarsos (tenth century)
| Accession number | BZS 1947.2.162 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 29 mm |
| Condition | Weakly imprinted |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 5.1. |
Obverse
A peacock with open tail. Remains of an inscription along the circumference. Indeterminate border.
ΘΚΕΟΗΘΕΙ.........
Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθει [τῷ σῷ δούλῳ]
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
..ΑΘ.
.ΗΚΡΙΤ.
.ΡΙΤΙΣΕ
ΥΚΕΙΑΣ
ΤΑΡΣ
[Εὐστ]αθ(ίῳ) [ἀσ]ηκρῖτ(ις) [(καὶ) κ]ριτῖ Σε[λε]υκείας [(καὶ)] Ταρσοῦ.
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Εὐσταθίῳ ἀσηκρῖτις καὶ κριτῖ Σελευκείας καὶ Ταρσοῦ.
Mother of God, help your servant Eustathios, asekretis and judge of Seleukeia and Tarsos.
| Accession number | BZS 1947.2.162 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 29 mm |
| Condition | Weakly imprinted |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 5.1. |
Commentary
Tarsos was the most wealthy and powerful of the towns on the Cilician plain, and following its capture by the Arabs and use as a base for raids into Byzantine territory, became the focus of Nikephoros Phokas’s eastern campaigns. The city was recaptured and was converted into an imperial kouratoreia, as well as the seat for a strategos, later under the authority of the doux of Antioch. By the end of the eleventh century, control passed into the hands of Armenian chieftains.
As this seal shows, officials occasionally combined duties in Tarsos and Seleukeia (see also BZS.1947.2.152 and BZS.1958.106.2063).
The seal of Nicholas Matzoukes, patrikios and thematic judge (δικαστής) of Tarsos and Seleukeia (ca. 1040–60), is published in Seibt-Zarnitz, no. 2.2.9.