Basil archbishop of Nikopolis (ninth century)
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding the medallion of Christ before her. Small crosses on either side. Within concentric circles of dots, traces of a circular inscription remain (starting at 7 o'clock).
Υ...ΑΓ.......
Ὑπεραγία Θεοτόκε μου βοήθει
Obverse
Bust of the Virgin holding the medallion of Christ before her. Small crosses on either side. Within concentric circles of dots, traces of a circular inscription remain (starting at 7 o'clock).
Υ...ΑΓ.......
Ὑπεραγία Θεοτόκε μου βοήθει
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. No border visible.
Τ.
ΔΟΥΛ.
ΑΣΙΛΕΙΑ
ΡΧΙΕΠΚΝ
ΙΚΟΠΟΛ
τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Βασιλείῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Νικοπόλεως
Accession number | BZS.1947.2.117 |
---|---|
Diameter | 24.0 mm |
Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 2.10. |
Translation
Ὑπεραγία Θεοτόκε μου βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Βασιλείῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Νικοπόλεως.
All holy Mother of God, help your servant Basil, archbishop of Nikopolis.
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)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Molivdovuly grečeskogo Vostoka (Open in Zotero)
- De Administrando Imperio (Open in Zotero)
- Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio (Open in Zotero)
- Nikopolis und Kephallenia (Open in Zotero)
- Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Open in Zotero)
- Nikopolis I: Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Nicopolis (Open in Zotero)
- Die sphragistischen Quellen zum byzantinischen Thema Nikopolis (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
No firm reading of the circular inscription of the obverse can be given, even with reference to the Hermitage specimen. The right side is relatively well preserved. The editors read (starting at 1 o'clock): ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕΠΡ and proposed the verb προνοῶ, which makes no sense and has no parallels. We wonder whether the last two letters could be read as Μ, in which case the inscription could be read as Θεοτόκε μου βοήθει. This solution appears possible on the photograph, but is opposed by the editors (p. 158, note 2). The question remains open.