Leo imperial kommerkiarios and abydetikos of Thessalonica (eighth/ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V); in the quarters: ΤΣ|ΔΛ. Wreath border.
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. Wreath border.
ΛΕΝ
ΤΟΣΒ/ΚΜ
ΕΡΚΗΡΙ
ΒΥΔΗΤΗΚ
ΘΕΣΣΛΟ
..ΚΗΣ
Λέοντος βασιλικοῦ κουμερκηαρίου καὶ ἀβυδητηκοῦ Θεσσαλονίκης
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V); in the quarters: ΤΣ|ΔΛ. Wreath border.
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of six lines. Wreath border.
ΛΕΝ
ΤΟΣΒ/ΚΜ
ΕΡΚΗΡΙ
ΒΥΔΗΤΗΚ
ΘΕΣΣΛΟ
..ΚΗΣ
Λέοντος βασιλικοῦ κουμερκηαρίου καὶ ἀβυδητηκοῦ Θεσσαλονίκης
| Accession number | BZS.1947.2.171 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 25.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 18.4a. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Λέοντος βασιλικοῦ κουμερκηαρίου καὶ ἀβυδητηκοῦ Θεσσαλονίκης.
Theotokos, help your servant Leo imperial kommerkiarios and abydetikos of Thessalonica.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Βυζαντιακὰ μολυβδόβουλλα τοῦ ἐν ἈΘήναις Ἐθνικοῦ Νομισματικοῦ Μουσείου (Open in Zotero)
- Katalog molivdovulov (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
- Silk Trade and Production in Byzantium from the Sixth to the Ninth Century: The Seals of Kommerkiarioi (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Bleisiegel in Berlin (West) (Open in Zotero)
- Le kommerkion d’Abydos, Thessalonique et le commerce bulgare du 9e siècle (Open in Zotero)
- Recherches sur les douanes à Byzance: L’octava, le "kommerkion" et les commerciares (Open in Zotero)
- Les plus anciens recueils des miracles de Saint Démétrius et la pénétration des Slaves dans les Balkans (Open in Zotero)
- L’éparque de Thessalonique: les origines d'une institution administrative (VIIIe-IXe siècles) (Open in Zotero)
- Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Several more seals of Leo imperial kommerkiarios and abydikos of Thessalonica have been published, all dating from the late eighth to the early ninth century (see the two-loop Β): in addition to DO Seals 1, no. 18.5 and those published by Zacos-Veglery, see Konstantopoulos, no. 5 [instead of ἀβυδικῷ βˊ we would propose ἀβυδικῷ]; Sig., 740; Pančenko, Katalog, no. 21 (uncertain reading; cf. Winkelmann, Ämterstruktur, 126). The form ἀβυδιτικός is uncommon; etymologically it is close to the verb ἀβυδίζω = to perform the function of the abydos, and consequently reinforces our interpretation concerning the abydos of Thessalonica. No certain identification for the owner of this seal can be proposed.