George metropolitan of Athens (1153-May 16, 1160)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding Christ; details indistinct. On either side: ΜΗΡΘΥ: Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding Christ; details indistinct. On either side: ΜΗΡΘΥ: Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines, cross above. Border of dots.
ΣΦΡΑΓΙ.
ΑΘΗΝ͂ΝΠ..
ΜΈΝΟΣΓ.
ΡΓΊΟ
Σφραγὶς Ἀθηνῶν ποιμένος Γεωργίου
Accession number | BZS.1958.106.5113 |
---|---|
Diameter | 16.0 mm |
Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 9.5. See also Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 2329b. |
Translation
Σφραγὶς Ἀθηνῶν ποιμένος Γεωργίου.
Seal of George metropolitan of Athens.
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)
- A Collection of Dated Byzantine Lead Seals (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Études prosopographiques (Open in Zotero)
- Tὰ χαράγματα τοῦ Παρθενῶς (Open in Zotero)
- Documents de sigillographie byzantine: La collection C. Orghidan (Open in Zotero)
- Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Open in Zotero)
- Die Tarchaneiotai: Eine prosopographisch-sigillographische Studie (Open in Zotero)
- Hellas und Thessalia (Open in Zotero)
- Realities of Byzantine Provincial Government: Hellas and Peloponnesos, 1180-1205 (Open in Zotero)
- La géographie ecclésiastique de l’empire byzantin, vol. 2, Les églises et les monastères des grands centres byzantins (Open in Zotero)
- Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)
- Athen in Byzanz: Traum und Realität (Open in Zotero)
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 2, Siegellegenden von Ny bis inklusive Sphragis (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
One dodecasyllable verse using the term poimen in place of metropolitan to fit the metre. Since only two metropolitans named George occupied the throne of Athens between the 10th and 12th centuries, we may confidently assign this seal to George Bourtzes, who succeeded by Leo Xeros in 1153 and died on May 16, 1160 (Cheynet-Vannier, 52, no. 31; Orlandos-Branouses, no. 40).