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Theophanes hypatos, imperial spatharokandidatos and strategos of Cephalonia (eighth century)

 
 

Obverse

Cruciform invocative monogram (type V); in the quarters: ΤΣ|Δ.. . No visible border.

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δού[λῳ]

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Wreath border.

ΕΟΦΑΝ
ΠΑΤΒ̅
.ΡΚΝ  
ΤΡΤ  
.ΕΦ

[Θ]εοφάν(ει) [ὑ]πάτῳ, βα(σιλικῷ) [σπα]θαρ(ο)κανδ(ιδά)τ(ῳ) [(καὶ) σ]τρατηγ(ῷ) [Κ]εφα[λ(ληνίας)]

Obverse

Cruciform invocative monogram (type V); in the quarters: ΤΣ|Δ.. . No visible border.

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δού[λῳ]

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Wreath border.

ΕΟΦΑΝ
ΠΑΤΒ̅
.ΡΚΝ  
ΤΡΤ  
.ΕΦ

[Θ]εοφάν(ει) [ὑ]πάτῳ, βα(σιλικῷ) [σπα]θαρ(ο)κανδ(ιδά)τ(ῳ) [(καὶ) σ]τρατηγ(ῷ) [Κ]εφα[λ(ληνίας)]

Accession number BZS.1947.2.55
Diameter 27.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 2, no. 1.17. Zacos-Veglery, no. 3200.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Θεοφάνει ὑπάτῳ, βασιλικῷ σπαθαροκανδιδάτῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ Κεφαλληνίας.

Mother of God, help your servant Theophanes, hypatos, imperial spatharokandidatos the strategos of Cephalonia.

Commentary

The script on this specimen is of poor craftsmanship and devoid of any particular style: Zacos-Veglery proposed an 8th-century date that may well be right because of the non-elongated characters of the inscription and the mention of the title hypatos before that of spatharokandidatos, an indication of early date (cf. Zacos-Veglery, 1283, and DO Seals 3, no. 1.15).

Bibliography