Constantine asekretis, imperial notarios, and episkeptites of Achyrovachoi (eleventh century)
Obverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
ΚΕ,Θ,
ΤΣΔ,
ΚΝΣΤΑΝ
ΤΙΝ,ΑΣΗ
ΚΡΗΤ.
·
Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δού(λῳ) Κωνσταντίν(ῳ) ἀσηκρήτ[ῃ]
Reverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
̄ΝΟΤΑ
ΡΙΟΕΠΙ
ΣΚΕΠΤΗΤ
ΤΟΝΑΧΥ
ΡΟΑΧ
·
β(ασιλικῷ) νοταρίο (καὶ) ἐπισκεπτήτ(ῃ) τον Ἀχυροβάχ(ων)
Obverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
ΚΕ,Θ,
ΤΣΔ,
ΚΝΣΤΑΝ
ΤΙΝ,ΑΣΗ
ΚΡΗΤ.
·
Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δού(λῳ) Κωνσταντίν(ῳ) ἀσηκρήτ[ῃ]
Reverse
Inscription of five lines followed by an ornament. Border of dots.
̄ΝΟΤΑ
ΡΙΟΕΠΙ
ΣΚΕΠΤΗΤ
ΤΟΝΑΧΥ
ΡΟΑΧ
·
β(ασιλικῷ) νοταρίο (καὶ) ἐπισκεπτήτ(ῃ) τον Ἀχυροβάχ(ων)
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.237 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 72.1. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Κωνσταντίνῳ ἀσηκρήτῃ, βασιλικῷ νοταρίο καὶ ἐπισκεπτήτῃ τον Ἀχυροβάχων.
Lord, help your servant Constantine asekretis, imperial notarios, and episkeptites of Achyrovachoi.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
- Μελέται περὶ τῆς διοικητικῆς διαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπαρχιακῆς διοικήσεως ἐν τῷ βυζαντινῷ κράτει (Open in Zotero)
- Alexiade: Règne de l’empereur Alexis I Comnène, 1081–1118 (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The stronghold of the Χοιρόβακχοι was situated in southeastern Thrace, where the Athyras and Melas rivers meet, near present-day Büyük Çekmece (Zakythinos, Mélétai 18 [1948] 54). Anna Komnena mentions the fortification in her description of her father's defense of the city against the Petchenegs (Alexiade II, 127 ff). Kinnamos (Bonn, 73-74) speaks of the plain of the the Choirobakhoi as well-watered and excellent for pasturing horses, a situation that may reflect why, as attested by the seal below, the region was the site of imperial estates: this episkepsis of the Choirovakhoi was still functioning in 1198.