The 17,000 Byzantine lead seals at Dumbarton Oaks and the Fogg Museum of Art form the largest and most comprehensive collection of these objects in the world. These small seals are a large contribution to historical geography, the evolution of the Byzantine provincial administration, prosopography, development in the Greek language, and decorative vogues.

This volume includes seals with place names from the East, Constantinople and its environs, and seals with uncertain readings. Each section begins with a short essay on the region’s history. Each seal is illustrated and is accompanied—where appropriate—by full commentary regarding the specimen’s date, biographical information on its owner, peculiarities of orthography, and special features of iconography.