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John metropolitan of Amastris (tenth/eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. John Prodromos blessing and holding a scroll. Inscription in two columns: |ι̅ω|ο-|δ : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἰω(άννης) ὁ Πρ(ό)δ(ρομος). Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, a decoration below. Border of dots.

κ̅ερ,θ,
Ι̅μητ,ο,
πολητι
ταμαστ
αρδου

Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) Ἰω(άννῃ) μητ(ρ)οπολήτι τ(οῦ) Ἀμαστράρδου

Obverse

Bust of St. John Prodromos blessing and holding a scroll. Inscription in two columns: |ι̅ω|ο-|δ : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Ἰω(άννης) ὁ Πρ(ό)δ(ρομος). Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, a decoration below. Border of dots.

κ̅ερ,θ,
Ι̅μητ,ο,
πολητι
ταμαστ
αρδου

Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) Ἰω(άννῃ) μητ(ρ)οπολήτι τ(οῦ) Ἀμαστράρδου

Accession number BZS.1955.1.4812
Diameter 24.0 mm; field: 19.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 4, no. 12.4a.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει Ἰωάννῃ μητροπολήτι τοῦ Ἀμαστράρδου.

Lord, help John, metropolitan of Amastris.

Commentary

This seal and BZS.1955.1.4813 are made from the same boulloterion.

In the second line (reverse), the engraver has mistakenly placed an abbreviation mark after the letter Ο. A second declension, masculine form, Ἄμαστρος, is found as a variant spelling among the Notitiae episcopatuum (see the “Index grec” in Darrouzès’ Notitiae, Ἄμαστρος, s.v.). The engraver may have had this variant in mind and, unfamiliar with third declension endings, created a hybrid, imposing a second declension genitive form on the standard third declension spelling, Ἀμάστριδος. Or perhaps it was just a mistake, a transposition of letters.

Bibliography