Basil patrikios, hypatos, judge of the Hippodrome, of the Velum and of the Opsikion (eleventh century)
Obverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
εR..θ
τσδλ,
.ασιλει
πατρικι
υπατ
– · –
[Κ(ύρι)]ε β[οή]θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δούλ(ῳ) [Β]ασιλείῳ πατρικίῳ, ὑπάτῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
κριτη
επιτι
δρομτ.
RηλSτ
οψικι-
κριτῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἱππ(ο)δρόμου, τ[οῦ] βήλου (καὶ) τοῦ Ὀψικίου
Obverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
εR..θ
τσδλ,
.ασιλει
πατρικι
υπατ
– · –
[Κ(ύρι)]ε β[οή]θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δούλ(ῳ) [Β]ασιλείῳ πατρικίῳ, ὑπάτῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
κριτη
επιτι
δρομτ.
RηλSτ
οψικι-
κριτῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἱππ(ο)δρόμου, τ[οῦ] βήλου (καὶ) τοῦ Ὀψικίου
| Accession number | BZS.1947.2.2137 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 3, no. 39.7. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Βασιλείῳ πατρικίῳ, ὑπάτῳ, κριτῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἱπποδρόμου, τοῦ βήλου καὶ τοῦ Ὀψικίου.
Lord, help your servant Basil, patrikios, hypatos, judge of the Hippodrome, of the Velum, and of the Opsikion.
Bibliography
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
- Documents de sigillographie byzantine: La collection C. Orghidan (Open in Zotero)
- Les sceaux byzantins de la Collection Henri Seyrig (Open in Zotero)
- De Thematibus (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Opsikion was one of the earliest themes of Byzantium; its name comes from the term obsequium (retinue), often called "imperial obsequium guarded by God." Its territory included many provinces and initially encompassed all northwestern Asia Minor; by the mid-eighth century it was subdivided, and the new themes of the Boukellarioi and of the Optimatoi appeared. All three names show that the origins of this theme are to be sought in the regiments of the imperial guard, and according to some scholars, to the milites praesentales of the fifth century.
The commander of Opsikion traditionally bore the titles of komes, probably because initially he was identical to the comes domesticorum. He is first attested in 626 (perhaps already in 615), and, because of his proximity to Constantinople (his residence was in Nicaea), he played an important role in imperial politics. As this happened regularly with all units of the imperial guard, the tagmata (Listes, 329), the second in command of the Opsikion was called for quite some time a topoteretes (cf. Zacos-Veglery, no. 1762). The province was organized as all other themes (with tourmarchai, anagrapheis, judges, protonotarioi, chartoularioi, strateutai [Laurent, Orghidan, no. 218], etc.), and, already in the ninth century, the commander was also called a strategos (see Listes, 264, footnote 23; Zacos, Seals II, no. 850; Seyrig, no. 191).
The littoral of the Opsikion was also part of the theme of Aigaion Pelagos.
See Pertusi, in De Them., 127-30; Winkelmann, Ämsterstruktur, 72-76, 119-20; ODB III, 1528-29; Haldon, Praetorians, passim, esp. 164 ff; T. Lounghis, "A Deo conservandum imperiale Obsequium," ByzSl 52 (1991) 54-60.