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Nikephoros Iasites, spatharios and taxiarches (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of Mother of God, holding the Christ child in her right hand. Sigla preserved at right: ΘΥ: [Μ(ήτη)ρ] Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

Θκεr,θ,
Νικη,σπ
θαρ,sτα
αρχ,τι
ασιτ

Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)θ(ει) Νικηφ(όρῳ) σπ[α]θαρ(ίῳ) (καὶ) ταξ[ι]άρχ(ῃ) τῷ Ἰασίτ(ῃ)

Obverse

Bust of Mother of God, holding the Christ child in her right hand. Sigla preserved at right: ΘΥ: [Μ(ήτη)ρ] Θ(εο)ῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

Θκεr,θ,
Νικη,σπ
θαρ,sτα
αρχ,τι
ασιτ

Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)θ(ει) Νικηφ(όρῳ) σπ[α]θαρ(ίῳ) (καὶ) ταξ[ι]άρχ(ῃ) τῷ Ἰασίτ(ῃ)

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.1388
Diameter 1.0 mm
Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει Νικηφόρῳ σπαθαρίῳ καὶ ταξιάρχῃ τῷ Ἰασίτῃ.

Mother of God, help Nikephoros Iasites, spatharios and taxiarches.

Commentary

The seal of Nikephoros Iasites, protospatharios and strategos of Cherson (eleventh century, first half) is published in Schlumberger and Birch. The seal of a Nike(tas/phoros) Iasites, protospatharios and strategos (eleventh century, first third) depicting a bust of St. Demetrios, is in the Preslav Museum of Archaeology (no. 21656; Jordanov, Corpus 2: no. 241). Contemporary to Nikephoros is Michael Iasites, who served in a number of high military posts along the eastern frontier in the 1030s and 1040s; see PBW Michael 111 for a list of seals and bibliography. In the third quarter of the eleventh century, Leo Iasites held a number of high provincial military posts, including strategos of Boukellarion and doux of Armeniakon; see Seibt, Bleisiegel, no. 40.

The surname Iasites is Armenian (Ասիտ).

Bibliography

  • Corpus of Byzantine Seals from Bulgaria (Open in Zotero)
  • Die byzantinischen Bleisiegel in Österreich, Vol. 2, Zentral- und Provinzialverwaltung (Open in Zotero)