Leo III (717–20)
Obverse
The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ on her left arm, with her right hand set below his feet. A cross potent at left and right. Wreath border.
Reverse
Half-length representation of Leo III, with short beard and mustache, wearing a crown with a cross and a chlamys pinned with a fibula on his right shoulder. He wears his hair long at the sides and curled. He holds a globus cruciger in his right hand and in his left an akakia. Circular inscription. Wreath border.
NOLEONPAM.LA
D(omino) n(ostr)o Leon(i) p(erpetuo) a(ugusto) m[u]l(tos) a(nnos).
Obverse
The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ on her left arm, with her right hand set below his feet. A cross potent at left and right. Wreath border.
Reverse
Half-length representation of Leo III, with short beard and mustache, wearing a crown with a cross and a chlamys pinned with a fibula on his right shoulder. He wears his hair long at the sides and curled. He holds a globus cruciger in his right hand and in his left an akakia. Circular inscription. Wreath border.
NOLEONPAM.LA
D(omino) n(ostr)o Leon(i) p(erpetuo) a(ugusto) m[u]l(tos) a(nnos).
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4269 (formerly DO 55.1.4269) |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 36.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 28.1; Zacos–Veglery, no. 33a. For a similar specimen see Shandrovskaja, Sfragistika, no. 216. |
Translation
Domino nostro Leoni perpetuo augusto multos annos.
Our lord Leo, eternal augustus, [reign] many years.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 3, Leo III to Nicephorus III (717–1081) (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Before 25 March 720, when Leo took as colleague his two-year-old son Constantine V, Leo appears alone on his coins (for example, DOC 3.1.1:1c3 [pl. 1])