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Elinagos (?) magistros and katepano of Taron (?) (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. Nicholas blessing and holding a book. Inscription visible at right: αο|σ : [ὁ (ἅγιος) Νικόλ]αος. No visible border.

Reverse

Inscription of which four lines remain. No visible border.

.λιν
γ,μγ,
τρ,Sκτ

πν,τ.
τρ,.

[Ἐ]λινάγ(ῳ) μαγ(ί)[σ]τρ(ῳ) (καὶ) κατ[ε]πάν(ω) τ[οῦ] Ταρ(ώ)[ν]

Obverse

Bust of St. Nicholas blessing and holding a book. Inscription visible at right: αο|σ : [ὁ (ἅγιος) Νικόλ]αος. No visible border.

Reverse

Inscription of which four lines remain. No visible border.

.λιν
γ,μγ,
τρ,Sκτ

πν,τ.
τρ,.

[Ἐ]λινάγ(ῳ) μαγ(ί)[σ]τρ(ῳ) (καὶ) κατ[ε]πάν(ω) τ[οῦ] Ταρ(ώ)[ν]

Accession number BZS.1947.2.197
Diameter 26.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 4, no. 76.3.

Translation

Ἐλινάγῳ μαγίστρῳ καὶ κατεπάνω τοῦ Ταρών.

Elinagos, magistros and katepano of Taron.

Commentary

Although the final line of the reverse could possibly be restored as Ταρ[σ(οῦ)], the reading Ταρών has been adopted on the basis of the abbreviation sign following ταρ and the space for one more letter that one has to count at this spot — if the place name was Ταρσοῦ, one would have expected an abbreviation like ταρσ,.— The proposed name for the owner is very uncommon; our reading is based on the remains of the letters that appear on the lead as well as on the text of Skylitzes, informing us about a Bulgarian chieftain, Ἐλίναγος Φραντζῆς, whom Basil II would have appointed patrikios and settled in Thessaloniki (cf. V. Laurent, “Σφραντζῆς et non Φραντζῆς” BZ 44 [1951] 374-376). It was not uncommon that such chieftains, once taken into the imperial service, be appointed to administrative positions along the eastern frontier (cf. e. g. the case of Aaron: Kühn, Armee, 184, 194, 201, 204). And it would be quite normal if, on such an occasion, they received a promotion (from patrikios to magistros).

Bibliography