Theognostos, or Theoktistos, or Theophylaktos imperial protospatharios and strategos of the Peloponnesos (ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V, according to Zacos-Veglery); in the quarters: ΤΣ|ΔΛ. No visible border.
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines followed by traces of tendril decoration. No visible border.
ΕΟ.
.ΤΒ//Σ
Θ/Κ/ΤΡ
.ΠΕΛΟΠ
..
Θεογνώστῳ βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ Πελοποννήσου
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (type V, according to Zacos-Veglery); in the quarters: ΤΣ|ΔΛ. No visible border.
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines followed by traces of tendril decoration. No visible border.
ΕΟ.
.ΤΒ//Σ
Θ/Κ/ΤΡ
.ΠΕΛΟΠ
..
Θεογνώστῳ βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ Πελοποννήσου
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.3450 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 26.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 22.37. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Θεογνώστῳ βασιλικῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ Πελοποννήσου.
Mother of God, help your servant Theognostos, imperial protospatharios and strategos of the Peloponnesos.
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)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Die Eingliederung von Vaspurakan in das Byzantinische Reich (etwa Anfang 1019 bzw. Anfang 1022) (Open in Zotero)
- La Morée franque: Recherches historiques, topographiques et archéologiques sur la principauté d’Achaïe (1205-1430) (Open in Zotero)
- Die Skleroi: Eine prosopographisch-sigillographische Studie (Open in Zotero)
- Theophanis Chronographia (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Realities of Byzantine Provincial Government: Hellas and Peloponnesos, 1180-1205 (Open in Zotero)
- Die byzantinische Armee im 10. und 11. Jahrhundert: Studien zur Organisation der Tagmata (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Line 1 seems to contain two rounded letters (Ε, Ο), suggesting that the owner's name could well have been Theognostos, or Theoktistos, or, less likely, Theophylaktos. At the end of line 3 it is possible to discern portions of a letter bar which is slanting, unquestionably an Α. We assume that after καί the engraver erred, inadvertently dropping the letter Σ from the title στρατηγῷ; reading τρακτευτῇ would have been another possibility, but this title is unlikely at such a late date (cf. Zacos-Veglery, nos. 909A and 914A; Laurent, Orghidan, no. 348). Moreover, Zacos-Veglery, no. 2493b published another specimen, on which the reverse can be clearly read: .......|.ΤΩΒ/Α/Σ|ΠΑΘ,Κ/ΤΡ.|Τ/ΠΕΛΟΠ/. Upon close scrutiny, it appears that this specimen is coming from the same boulloterion as ours, with the only possible difference that it had to be retooled at a later time and thus the letters became slightly thicker. So we arrived at the restitutions on the present specimen on the basis of the Zacos one, both containing the same mistake. At some time the owner of our seal decided to improve his boulloterion decied to improve his boulloterion and had a new one made of exactly the same type and presentation but on which the title strategos was correctly spelled (Zacos-Veglery, no. 2493a). The same mistake appears again earlier and later on our DO Seals 2, nos. 1.15 and 22.23; see also the seal of the στρατηγὸς Γωτωρὸζ καὶ Ἐλαβάκης, published by W. Seibt, in Handes Amsorya 90/3 [1976] 638.