Theoktistos kommerkiarios of Thessalonica (tenth century)
Obverse
Patriarchal cross on three steps. Along the circumference, inscription between two circles of dots.
ΚΕΟΗΘΕΙΤΣΔΟΥΛ
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Facing bust of a beardless male wearing a chlamys and holding long scepter or baton of office. No nimbus or imperial regalia. Along the circumference, beginning at 12 o'clock, inscription between two circles of dots.
ΘΕΟΚΤΙΣΤ,ΚΟΜΕΡΚ,ΘΕΣΑΛΟΝ,
Θεοκτίστῳ κομερκιαρίῳ Θεσαλονίκης
Obverse
Patriarchal cross on three steps. Along the circumference, inscription between two circles of dots.
ΚΕΟΗΘΕΙΤΣΔΟΥΛ
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Facing bust of a beardless male wearing a chlamys and holding long scepter or baton of office. No nimbus or imperial regalia. Along the circumference, beginning at 12 o'clock, inscription between two circles of dots.
ΘΕΟΚΤΙΣΤ,ΚΟΜΕΡΚ,ΘΕΣΑΛΟΝ,
Θεοκτίστῳ κομερκιαρίῳ Θεσαλονίκης
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.3952 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 21.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 18.47. |
Translation
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Θεοκτίστῳ κομερκιαρίῳ Θεσαλονίκης.
Lord, help your servant Theoktistos kommerkiarios of Thessalonica.
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)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Silk Trade and Production in Byzantium from the Sixth to the Ninth Century: The Seals of Kommerkiarioi (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Bleisiegel in Berlin (West) (Open in Zotero)
- Le kommerkion d’Abydos, Thessalonique et le commerce bulgare du 9e siècle (Open in Zotero)
- Recherches sur les douanes à Byzance: L’octava, le "kommerkion" et les commerciares (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
- Les plus anciens recueils des miracles de Saint Démétrius et la pénétration des Slaves dans les Balkans (Open in Zotero)
- L’éparque de Thessalonique: les origines d'une institution administrative (VIIIe-IXe siècles) (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Representations of laymen with or without baton of office appear on some seals of the Middle Byzantine period, especially on those of symponoi and of epi ton barbaron; see Laurent, Corpus II, nos. 499, 505, 512, 515, 518, 527, 1053, 1059, 1063. They may be portraits of the seals' owners, but it is not certain that this is always the case.