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Thomas ek prosopou of Berroia (or Beroe?) (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God holding medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ΜΡ̅ΘΥ̅: Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. No border visible.

Reverse

Inscription of four lines. An ornament below. Border of dots.

ΘΚΕ..
ΜΑΕΚ
ΠΡΟΣΟΠ
ΕΡΗΥΣ

Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)[θ(ει) Θ]ωμᾷ ἐκ προσόπ(ου) Βερήυς

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God holding medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ΜΡ̅ΘΥ̅: Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. No border visible.

Reverse

Inscription of four lines. An ornament below. Border of dots.

ΘΚΕ..
ΜΑΕΚ
ΠΡΟΣΟΠ
ΕΡΗΥΣ

Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)[θ(ει) Θ]ωμᾷ ἐκ προσόπ(ου) Βερήυς

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.646
Diameter 25.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 1, no. 19.1.

Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει Θωμᾷ ἐκ προσόπου Βερήυς.

Mother of God, help Thomas ek prosopou of Berroia (or Beroe).

Commentary

Βερήυς: the last word of the inscription is spelled in a dubious way, which reappears on Zacos, Seals II, no. 240: τουρμάρχης Βεροίοις, both meant to be pronounced as Veriis with the possibility that the last syllable was pronounced in a special way, probably close to ü, as υ and οι αre used alternatively. It is a different pronounciation for Βεροίας or for Βερόης (cf. REB 44 [1986] 265)? This is not easy to answer, in spite of the fact that a tourmarches Βεροίας is attested on another seal (Speck, Bleisiegel, no. 146). However, we classify the present seal under Beroia, because we suppose that we may have here the erroneous use of the genitive -ης rather than in -ας, in which case the name in the nominative should have been Beroia. The question remains open.

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)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantinische Bleisiegel in Berlin (West) (Open in Zotero)
  • Alexiade: Règne de l’empereur Alexis I Comnène, 1081–1118 (Open in Zotero)
  • Μελέται περὶ τῆς διοικητικῆς διαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπαρχιακῆς διοικήσεως ἐν τῷ βυζαντινῷ κράτει (Open in Zotero)
  • Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Historia tēs Veroias (tēs poleōs kai tēs periochēs), Vol. 2, Vyzantinoi chronoi (Open in Zotero)