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Priests and ekklesiekdikoi (of Saint Sophia) (thirteenth/fourteenth century)

 
 

Obverse

Justinian (left) and the Mother of God (right) holding between them a model of the church of Saint Sophia. Faint columnar inscriptions at left: Ι||.|Ν.|Α.|ΟἸουστ[ι]ν[ι]α[ν]ό[ν?]; in center: ΗΑ|ΓΙ|Α|ΣΟΦ|ΙΑ : Ἡ Ἁγία Σοφία; and at right: ̅|Θ̅Υ̅|ΗΒ|ΟΗ|ΘΙ|Α : Μή(τη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ – Ἡ Βοήθια. Linear border.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines preceded and followed by decoration. Linear border.


τοιςθεο
σεβε́Τοισ
ΕΣΒτεροις
κιεκκλησΥ
εκδηκοισ

τοῖς θεοσεβεστάτοις πρεσβειτέροις καὶ ἐκκλησυεκδήκοις

Obverse

Justinian (left) and the Mother of God (right) holding between them a model of the church of Saint Sophia. Faint columnar inscriptions at left: Ι||.|Ν.|Α.|ΟἸουστ[ι]ν[ι]α[ν]ό[ν?]; in center: ΗΑ|ΓΙ|Α|ΣΟΦ|ΙΑ : Ἡ Ἁγία Σοφία; and at right: ̅|Θ̅Υ̅|ΗΒ|ΟΗ|ΘΙ|Α : Μή(τη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ – Ἡ Βοήθια. Linear border.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines preceded and followed by decoration. Linear border.


τοιςθεο
σεβε́Τοισ
ΕΣΒτεροις
κιεκκλησΥ
εκδηκοισ

τοῖς θεοσεβεστάτοις πρεσβειτέροις καὶ ἐκκλησυεκδήκοις

Accession number BZS.1958.106.4810
Diameter 39.0 mm; field: 33.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 5 no. 42.16; Zacos, Seals II, no. 76b; Laurent, Corpus 5.3: no. 1654A.

Translation

Τοῖς θεοσεβεστάτοις πρεσβειτέροις καὶ ἐκκλησυεκδήκοις.

The most reverent priests and ekklesiekdikoi of Hagia Sophia.

Commentary

For a discussion of the ekklesiekdikoi, who formed a tribunal operating out of Saint Sophia, and the iconography associated with their seals, see the brief introduction in DO Seals 5, pages 88–89, as well as J. Cotsonis, "The Virgin and Justinian on Seals of the Ekklesiekdikoi of Hagia Sophia."

Accent marks. The name Justinian has been restored in the accusative case. The editors of DO Seals 5 identified the middle letter of the third line on the reverse as a late epsilon-iota ligature, which has been rendered here with some uncertainty, as a scrape obliterates the middle part of the character. It is possible that the phrase on the obverse, "The Mother of God is our help" carries over to the inscription on the reverse, hence "May the Mother of God be the help to the most reverent priests and judges of Hagia Sophia."

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 5: The East (continued), Constantinople and Environs, Unknown Locations, Addenda, Uncertain Readings (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • The Virgin and Justinian on Seals of the Ekklesiekdikoi of Hagia Sophia (Open in Zotero)