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Adrianos Komnenos, protosebastos and grand domestikos of all the West (after 1087)

 
 

Obverse

St George standing, holding a spear, his left hand on a round shield resting on the ground. Inscription in two columns: Ι|Ο|Σ.|.|..|.Ι|ΟΣ: [ὁ ἅγ]ιος [Γεώργ]ιος. Border of pellets within concentric circles of dots.

Reverse

Inscription. Border of pellets within concentric circles of dots.

.....λ
δ.ινˋσ.
στSδομ.
στικπσησ
δυσεστ
κο....

[Κ(ύριε) β(οή)θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δ]ούλῳ Ἀδ[ρ]ιανῷ (πρωτο)σ[ε]βαστῷ (καὶ) μ(ε)γ(άλῳ) δομ[ε]στίκῳ πάσης Δύσεως τῷ Κο[μνηνῷ]

Obverse

St George standing, holding a spear, his left hand on a round shield resting on the ground. Inscription in two columns: Ι|Ο|Σ.|.|..|.Ι|ΟΣ: [ὁ ἅγ]ιος [Γεώργ]ιος. Border of pellets within concentric circles of dots.

Reverse

Inscription. Border of pellets within concentric circles of dots.

.....λ
δ.ινˋσ.
στSδομ.
στικπσησ
δυσεστ
κο....

[Κ(ύριε) β(οή)θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δ]ούλῳ Ἀδ[ρ]ιανῷ (πρωτο)σ[ε]βαστῷ (καὶ) μ(ε)γ(άλῳ) δομ[ε]στίκῳ πάσης Δύσεως τῷ Κο[μνηνῷ]

Accession number BZS.1947.2.1083
Diameter 34.0 mm; field: 29.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 1 no. 1.13a.

Translation

Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἀδριανῷ πρωτοσεβαστῷ καὶ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ πάσης Δύσεως τῷ Κομνηνῷ.

Lord, help your servant Adrianos Komnenos protosebastos and grand domestikos of all the West.

Commentary

Two similar specimens published in Sig., 639, come from different boulloteria than the three DO specimens of this entry (this, BZS.1955.1.2982, and BZS.1951.31.5.747). Konstantopoulos, no. 337, republishes the Athens specimens listed in Sig. and another one. The latter has the same alignment of letters as the DO specimen and could come from the same boulloterion. It is published in Laurent, Corpus II, no. 940 , with illustration on pl. 36.

This seal comes from a different boulloterion than BZS.1955.1.2982, and BZS.1951.31.5.747, but its inscription has the same alignment of letters, leading one to believe that the more complete inscriptions preserved on those seals can be used to restore the reading.

The owner of this seal was the brother of Alexios I Komnenos; he was protosebastos in 1084 (Lavra I, 205), and became grand domestikos after the death of Pakourianos in 1087 (Barzos, Komnenoi I, 114-117). See also PBW : Adrianos 102.

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)
  • Βυζαντιακὰ μολυβδόβουλλα τοῦ ἐν ἈΘήναις Ἐθνικοῦ Νομισματικοῦ Μουσείου (Open in Zotero)
  • Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)