Epiphanios archon of Demetrias (tenth century)
Obverse
A rosace. Circular inscription between two borders of dots.
ΜΗΡΘΥΦΥΛΑΤ,ΤΟΝΣΟΝΟΙΚ,
Μῆ(τε)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ φύλατ(τε) τὸν σὸν οἰκ(έτην)
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
ΕΠΙΦ
ΑΝΙΑΡ
ΧΟΝΤΙΔ
ΗΜΗΤΡ
ΙΑΔΟΣ
Ἐπιφανίῳ ἄρχοντι Δημητριάδος
Obverse
A rosace. Circular inscription between two borders of dots.
ΜΗΡΘΥΦΥΛΑΤ,ΤΟΝΣΟΝΟΙΚ,
Μῆ(τε)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ φύλατ(τε) τὸν σὸν οἰκ(έτην)
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
ΕΠΙΦ
ΑΝΙΑΡ
ΧΟΝΤΙΔ
ΗΜΗΤΡ
ΙΑΔΟΣ
Ἐπιφανίῳ ἄρχοντι Δημητριάδος
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.1504 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 19.0 mm; field: 15.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 12.1. See also Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 1437. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Μῆτερ Θεοῦ φύλαττε τὸν σὸν οἰκέτην Ἐπιφανίῳ ἄρχοντι Δημητριάδος.
Mother of God, protect your servant Epiphanios, archon of Demetrias.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor (Open in Zotero)
- Hellas und Thessalia (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Sceaux byzantins du Musée National de Varsovie (Open in Zotero)
- Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 1, Siegellegenden von Alpha bis inclusive My (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The formulaic invocation on the obverse forms a dodecasyllabic verse; if not accidental, it would be an early example of a metrical inscription. The grammatically incompatible reverse inscription, giving the owner's name and office in the dative case, appears to have been grafted on to the invocation.
The modern Demetrias, 2 km to the southwest of and opposite Volos. Important port of the Pagasetikos, attested throughout the Middle Ages, repeatedly sacked by the Arabs and the Bulgarians in the 10th-11th centuries. It had its own administration, an archon, and was the seat of a bishop, suffragan of Larissa, first mentioned in the 5th century. The presence of an archon at Demetrias may be related to the importance of this city as a port. An archon is also attested in Athens (see DO Seals 2, no. 9.1). See also Koder-Hild, Hellas, 144-45; Laurent, Corpus V/1, 511; Szemioth-Wasilewski, no. 71; Fedalto, 461-63.